Indonesia Blitz Canada Late in the William Jones Cup
Canada were looking to bounce back after a disappointing start to the 2019 William Jones Cup, but instead saw a repeat of the agony in their second game against Indonesia.
Manroop Clair continued his blazing form on offence, giving Canada the lead at the end of a stilted start to the game. Chester Jarrell Giles's defence prevented Canada getting any further ahead, despite the continued efforts on offence from Clair and Grant Audu, who was providing the spark for the Canadian team.
Canada led by four at half-time, and when the game resumed, so did the pattern. Good organisation and short-range shooting of the Canadian narrowly kept them in front, though Indonesia continued to be a threat.
In the fourth quarter Indonesia made their threat a reality. As they had done against Chinese Taipei White, Canada completely fell apart in the final period and their opponents had no qualms of taking advantage.
While the Canadian team's missed shots piled up, Indonesia went into the lead with a powerhouse shooting show, led by both from Giles and Kaleb Ramot Gemilang, who finished respectively with a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds and a team-high eighteen points.
Indonesia overturned the deficit against them to win the game in Q4 80 points to 70. Clair once again finished as Canada's top scorer with 22, while Audu and Patrick Simon both had 14 points in the loss.
The Mighty Sports Philippines team continued their winning ways with the biggest victory of the day, 90-74 over Jordan, while the remaining match-ups were far closer affairs. Korea weathered a late scare against Chinese Taipei White to emerge victorious 66-60, while Liu Wei's 27 points helped Chinese Taipei Blue to survive an overtime thriller with Iran, winning by a final score of 91-88.
Canada will be hoping to get a win on the board soon, their next chance coming tomorrow against Chinese Taipei Blue. Even though they are taking on a host team, with the tournament so proving unpredictable, there could be a chance for an upset here.
Check back here for daily updates on Canada at the William Jones Cup, while full details of the tournament and all games can be found on the official website.
Picture: Oliverchronicle.com
