A steaming 15-2 assault, highlighted by back-to-back triples by Biboy Simon, suddenly gave full control to the Nationals who turned a 23-25 deficit into a 38-27 advantage.
That pivotal second quarter siege set the tone of the rout for the Filipinos who notched their third victory in four games and boosted their bid for a semifinals berth in this 10-day tournament held in honor of FIBA’s first ever secretary general.
"The morale of the boys is very high, especially Biboy (Simon) who finally got to show his stuff," said coach Johny Tam. "Parang hindi lang kami apat na araw na nag-ensayo bago pumunta dito because everybody’s very focused and determined to win."
Simon’s third triple in the fourth quarter gave the Philippine team, composed of the RP Youth squad and the FedEx Laguna Lakers, its biggest lead of 35 points at 80-45.
The nationals who were sent here by Basketball Association of the Philippines president Quinteliano "Tiny" Literal, through the generosity of FedEx owner Bert Lina, were still playing the undefeated Koreans (4-0) as of presstime.
Today, the Filipinos get a much-needed break to further perfect their plays before plunging into action against Honduras tomorrow.
"If we can weather the outside bombs of Korea, I think we have a chance of winning our two remaining games," said Tam who is assisted by veteran mentors Ching Ching Marcelino and Luis Cadang.