Rondae Hollis-Jefferson star as Jordan routs Gilas Pilipinas

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led Jordan to an 87-62 victory over Gilas Pilipinas on Saturday, September 30 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in the 19th Asian Games men’s basketball competition.

Hollis-Jefferson came up huge in the second half, assisting the Falcons in repelling a massive third-quarter uprising by the Filipinos, whose medal aspirations were dashed when they were denied a spot in the quarterfinals.

The former NBA player and incoming second-year TNT import in the PBA displayed a diverse offensive arsenal, scoring in a variety of ways against Gilas defense to lead a decisive 13-0 run bridging the third and fourth quarters that enabled Jordan to break a 52-all tie.

It was such a massive run that it appeared to sap the will of Gilas, which had earlier rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half to equalize the game in the middle of the third quarter.

Both Hollis-Jefferson and Justin Brownlee scored 24 points for their respective teams, providing an entertaining subplot to the pivotal game.

However, the Jordan naturalized player once again had the last chuckle in their rivalry, as he not only defeated Brownlee but also had a more well-rounded performance with nine assists and eight rebounds.

He also proved to have the stronger supporting cast this time around with four players scoring in double-figures led by the 17 points from Fadi Mustafa and the 12 from Sami Bzai. John Bohannon and Ahmad Al Dwairi each scored 10 points.

Brownlee, ailing and all, attempted to carry Gilas on his shoulders, leading Gilas’ 23-10 third quarter surge that tied the game before Jordan awoke from his slumber and scored seven unanswered points to restore a 59-52 advantage.

The Falcons held Gilas to just 10 points in the fourth quarter while erupting for 28 points to extend their lead to as many as 27.