Panthers win against Denmark, 85-63
The Philippines earned a key win against Denmark, beating them, 85-63.
Although De rød-hvide prepared for the match by guarding the perimeter and not allowing the Panthers convert a single-three pointer in 10 attempts, they made up for with a very strong finish at the foul line. "We outhustled the Danes today. You can't win if you are outrebounded (62-39) and make way less trips to the line (34-18), coach Raddy said after the match. 29 year-old Jacinto Estorninos led a balanced attack with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block in 26 minute of action.
Filipino fans were celebrating after the game, playing 25 Minutes by Michael Learns to Rock at the parking lot. 'We're thinking maybe they can beat us if there was another 25 minutes," said a fan, who chose to remain anonymous. The small crowd of at least 50 fans were very confident, chanting 'Kakayanin yan!' and 'Laban Pilipinas!' as the Panthers team bus left the arena. "The team can win their remaining games against Hungary and Cyprus, it's a matter of by how many points," Another fan said.
The Philippines (3-2) is logjammed with 19 other countries, and with 9 of 19 countries relegated from the Top 32, winning by a very comfortable margin is part of the Panthers' gameplan. "We will celebrate the win today. Tomorrow, we will go back to train against Hungary," Estorninos said.
-fPz