Estonia U21's second half surge ends Philippines U21's tournament run (78788)Tallinn, Estonia -- Estonia U21 proved that their #1 tournament ranking was not a fluke. They ended up winning a highly-contested game versus Philippines U21, 82-72. Philippines U21 used defense to win games, but this time it was Estonia's defense that sealed the deal, as Philippines U21 was limited to only 29.3% field goal percentage, while Estonia had 34.9%. It was a very close game in the first half, but then Estonia U21 surges ahead and eventually claiming a Finals spot. They'll be up against Portugal U21, the 15th ranked team.
Endel Karu and
Gennadi Kaar were the driving forces behind Estonia U21's win, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively. Both players also shot effectively, each with 8 of 17 field goal shooting. The imposing paint presence of both
Nazar Kozlov and
Edvard Brosman was enough to disrupt Philippines U21's inside incursions. Kozlov posted a 12 points and 13 rebounds double-double, while Brosman snagged 14 rebounds and swatted 2 shots.
Ülo Paabo dished out 7 assists to orchestrate Estonia U21's offense.
On the other side,
Glenn Peter Dais and
Ruperto Penuela carried the fight for Philippines U21. Both players led the team in scoring with 13 points each. Penuela was also tasked to defend against Estonia's monster bigman, Kozlov. Regardless, he still collected 13 rebounds of his own. With most of the scoring options shut down,
Jan-Jan Revillame had to step up in terms of scoring, but to no avail as he only made 2 of 14 field goal attempts. He still finished the game with 11 points and 6 assists.
This is Philippines U21's last game for this season, but it was a great run, regardless. See you next time and good luck to us in the upcoming tournaments!
Points Leaders:Glenn Peter Dais - 13 points
Ruperto Penuela - 13 points
Jan-Jan Revillame - 11 points
Benedict John Rizal - 11 points
Rebounds Leaders:Ruperto Penuela - 13 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 11 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 8 rebounds
Assists Leaders:Jan-Jan Revillame - 6 assists
Glenn Peter Dais - 2 assists
Gabino Cabello - 2 assists
Lamberto Juliano - 2 assists
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
- Leo