PBA CENTENNIAL TEAM BEATS SAUDIS
Taiwan, Sep. 1, 1998 - The PBA Centennial Team, inspired by an enthusiastic Filipino crowd, beat Saudi Arabia, 78-60, on opening day of the 21st William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament at the Taipei Municipal Stadium.
The all-professional squad had control of the game from the very beginning, racing to a fast start to keep the Pan Arabian champion behind in points.
Kenneth Duremdes led the Centennial Team with 19 points, but it was the veteran triumvirate of Alvin Patrimonio, Vergel Meneses and Jojo Lastimosa which set the tone for the match as the three presided over a 15-4 start.
Filipinos fans besieged their favorite PBA players for autographs and pictures inside and outside the game venue.
Saudi Arabia managed to trim the deficit to 12-17, but the effort was cut short by a Duremdes three-pointer that led the PBA Centennial Team to a 48-32 advantage at halftime.
Marlou Aquino led another binge early in the second half that gave the Filipinos their biggest lead at 55-34.
The Saudis refused to say die, cutting the gap to 54-69 with 4:19 remaining. That was to be the closest Saudi Arabia could get. Allan Caidic connected in the ensuing play for another big finish.
The PBA Centennial Team takes on Bracket B top rival Japan today with a victory virtually assuring it of a seat in the crossover semifinals. The Japanese did not bring their full arsenal to the week-long competition although 6-foot-9 naturalized Japanese Dan Weiss can pose a problem. The absence of top gun Maikeru Takahashi and center Akifumi Yamasaki can make things easier for the Filipinos.
The scores: Duremdes 19, Abarrientos 12, Limpot 8, Espino 7, Patrimonio 6, Lastimosa 6, Caidic, 6, Meneses 4, Cariaso 4, Aquino 4, Racela 2, Feihl 0.
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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