Three down, five more to go. For the Philippine men's basketball team to have a real shot at bagging their fifth William Jones Cup title, they would probably need to sweep the remainder of their schedule, starting off with a rivalry match with Japan at 3:00 p.m (8-GMT).
The Philippines is coming off the most impressive performance of their campaign so far, beating a much bigger Russian side (Spartak Primorye) 85-71 in a rugged match on Tuesday.
Matthew Ganuelas-Rosser proved to be the difference-maker in the game, as he locked up Russia's perimeter scorers and then served as a playmaker on the opposite side of the court. He chipped in 10 points while veteran forward Ranidel De Ocampo recorded 13 points, including a late three-point shot dagger that put the Russian away for good.
The Philippines may have overcome their first acid test of the tourney, but standing on their way is a hungry Japanese team that lost its first three games of the tourney.
Japan, who like the Philippines will compete in the FIBA Asia Championship this September, dropped their first three games against Chinese Taipei A (84-82 OT), United States (91-76) and Iran 78-57.
Former NBA player Yuta Tabuse has been the focal leader of this Japanese squad, but it would take a collective effort from his teammates to pull off an upset against a vastly improving Philippine squad.
The battle between Iran (4-0) and the United States (1-3) will serve as the curtain raiser for Day 5 of the Jones Cup at 1:00 p.m. Iran will try to preserve their stainless record, while the United States looks to bounce back from two straight losses.
At 5:00 p.m, South Korea (2-2) and New Zealand (Willington Saints) will duke it out for better positioning in the standings. Finally in the night match, Chinese Taipei-A (3-1) plays Russia (3-1) at 7:00 p.m.
Live Streaming telecast, highlights and replay of Day 5 (William Jones Cup) are available on Sports5.ph and Youtube channel. Box Scores stats and standings on William Jones Cup 2015.
Philippines vs. Japan Replay - Click Here
Update - Jones Cup 2015 Live Stream & Replay Info: Philippines vs. Iran at 1:00 p.m, Russia vs. Chinese Taipei A at 7:00 p.m - Box Score Stats & Updates - Click Here