MANILA, Philippines – Chot Reyes only had good things to stay about June Mar Fajardo, even lamenting that Gilas Pilipinas should have gone to him more in their 87-81 loss to Dominican Republic to start the FIBA World Cup.
Fajardo turned in a perfect shooting display as he shot 5-of-5 from the field, finishing with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block in 28 minutes of action.
His 16 points are his highest in a World Cup game, eclipsing the 15 points Fajardo scored in an 81-79 overtime win over Senegal in the 2014 edition – the Philippines’ last victory in the global hoops showdown.
And Fajardo did it against quality competition: Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns and former Los Angeles Clippers big man Angel Delgado.
“Very efficient player. 28 minutes, 16 points, did not miss a shot,” Reyes said. “There was something I was disappointed about towards the end, we wanted to go to him a lot more.”
“Unfortunately, he was guarded by a seven-footer by the name of Karl-Anthony Towns and I thought KAT did a good job of denying him, forcing him to step outside and not giving him good low post position.”
The six-time PBA MVP kept the Philippines afloat late after Jordan Clarkson fouled out with 3:30 minutes left as he fished a foul from Towns and drained a pair of free throws that cut their deficit to 78-81.
But that was the last time Fajardo scored as the Dominicans wrapped it up thanks to key buckets from Victor Liz, Lester Quiñones, and Jean Montero.
“We wanted to get him the ball a lot more, but they defended him. That is a mark of a great team and that is an All-Star. There is a reason why Karl-Anthony Towns is an NBA All-Star,” said Reyes.
“But still, we cannot complain about the effort and the game of June Mar.”
Gilas Pilipinas needs another efficient showing from Fajardo as it eyes its first World Cup win in nearly a decade against Angola on Sunday, August 27, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com
