Gilas Pilipinas vs. Russia: Score and Reaction from 2015 William Jones Cup

Gilas Pilipinas put a stop to Russia's red-hot start at the 2015 William Jones Cup on Tuesday as they handed Spartak Primorye their first defeat of the tournament with an 85-71 result in Taiwan.  

Tuesday's clash was a physical one as there were several altercations between the two teams, but the Philippines managed to prevail thanks largely to the total team effort it received from its roster.

Five players scored in double figures for Gilas, including Ranidel de Ocampo, who led the way with 13 points, including three makes on four attempts from long range.

According to the Philippine Basketball Association's official website, head coach Tab Baldwin had no interest in allowing his team to fold under the pressure of Russia's physicality: "It's a good experience and good win for the team. Had they backed down from them, they would have to confront me."

Gilas clearly weren't intimidated by Russia's tactics, which Francesca Litton of CNN Philippines touched on after the big victory:

The win was huge for the Philippines as it erased the memory of Monday's disappointing 82-70 loss to defending William Jones Cup champion South Korea.

Former Philippine national team coach Chot Reyes believes Gilas learned the error of their ways on the offensive end against South Korea and applied that to the big win over Russia:

Gilas Pilipinas trailed 23-20 after one quarter of play, but it was all Philippines after that as Russia was outscored by 17 points the rest of the way.

The Russians received a great effort from Kostiantyn Glazyrin, who dropped 23 points and grabbed six rebounds. Aleksei Goliakhov, Dmitrii Uzinskii and Ivan Savelev all scored in double figures as well, but the offense from the rest of the team was essentially nonexistent.

While only a handful of players rose to the occasion for Russia, Baldwin didn't have that problem with Gilas, per PBA.Inquirer.net: "Everybody had to play. They made mistakes. Our game was not polished but everybody stepped up and contributed. What I liked the most was that we played with our roles—the shooters getting their shots, the rebounders getting the rebounds. From that standpoint, it's a team win."

After the Filipino squad sealed the deal Tuesday, Litton was among those who expressed their support for Gilas via social media:

There is certainly a sizable fanbase hoping for the Philippines to capture its first William Jones Cup title since 2012, and Tuesday's win was a big step in the right direction.

Getting to the top of the standings won't be easy, though, as Gilas Pilipinas still have several difficult matchups on tap, as seen in this rundown of their upcoming schedule, courtesy of Sports5:

If Gilas continue to turn in efforts like they did against Russia rather than their outing against South Korea, they have a legitimate chance to win it all. 

Iran—who has won this event four out of the past six years—sits in first place at 3-0, but it has yet to take on Gilas. Provided the Philippines continue to get across-the-board production and maintain its hard-nosed style of play throughout the tournament, it is a huge threat to the current leaders.

There is now considerable momentum on the side of Gilas Pilipinas, and they may very well have the right combination of talent and determination to take the William Jones Cup back home to their island nation for a fifth time.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.