After EASL loss, Newsome joins Gilas
It’s off to national team duties for Chris Newsome after his second crack at sending the Meralco Bolts to the semifinals, this time in the East Asia Super League, slipped away on the road Wednesday night with a heartbreaking 106-96 double overtime loss to the New Taipei Kings.
Newsome left for Doha a day after the Bolts missed out on a Final Four berth after blowing a 13-point lead to take part in Gilas Pilipinas’ participation for next week’s final window of the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.
“After EASL, it’s going to be Gilas,” Newsome said. “I may be home for a day, but I’m prepared to be gone for two weeks straight. Sorry, fiancee.”
In Doha, the national team will pay a series of friendlies to sharpen up for the Fiba clashes. The trip to Taiwan will be part of a grueling stretch for Newsome, with Gilas set to wrap up the continental qualifiers by spending more time on planes, airports and hotels.
Gilas starts its Doha stint Friday against host Qatar before taking on Lebanon the following day and Egypt on Saturday, games that national coach Tim Cone sees as a chance to measure themselves ahead of the Fiba Asia Cup in August.
Newsome will head back to Taiwan, perhaps with a bit of revenge on his mind, on Feb. 20 as Gilas visits Chinese-Taipei before going on a lengthy trip to Auckland to take on New Zealand three days later.
The long trip to Doha will likely have some regret on Newsome’s part as Meralco failed to become the first team from the PBA to make it to the EASL’s biggest stage set for March 7 to 9 in Macau.
Up 65-52 in the third, the Bolts couldn’t sustain their lead as the Kings relied heavily on the full court press to force turnovers while knocking down outside shots, including Austin Daye’s difficult three off import Akil Mitchell that eventually led to a 78-all tie at the end of regulation.
