Gilas Pilipinas’ hopes of booking a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games have come to an end.
This, after the nationals absorbed a 71-60 defeat against Brazil during the semifinals of the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) on Saturday, July 6 (Philippine time) at the Arena Riga in Latvia.
Justin Brownlee led the Philippines’ brave stand with 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal, while Dwight Ramos followed with 13 markers, three dimes and three boards.
Also aiding the duo were June Mar Fajardo, who tallied a 10-point, 10-rebound game together with two assists, and CJ Perez, who also scored the same amount together with three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
“It’s funny. We didn’t expect to be here. But when we got here, we expected to win,” said head coach Tim Cone after the game.
“It’s very painful that we didn’t, especially after our halftime lead,” added the coach, who acknowledged that Gilas dearly missed the services of center Kai Sotto, who sat out the game after sustaining an injury against Georgia in the group stage.
Brazil had already erased a 12-point deficit to trail 33-27 at the half, and they waxed hot to start the third period.
An 8-0 blast pushed the Brazilians ahead, 35-33.
Brazil went on to limit Gilas to only six points throughout the rest of the quarter while putting up 24 on the scoreboard, and they banked on this momentum until the fourth period to lead by as much as 16, 67-51.
The nationals brought Brazil’s lead down to 11 and even had the chance to cut it to nine, but Kevin Quiambao missed an open lay-in at the rim.
Aiding in the second-half surge of the world’s 12th-best basketball team was former Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcelinho Huertas, who put up 13 points, 11 of which came in the last 20 minutes of action, as well as seven assists.
Earlier, the Philippines survived a slow start in the opener and turned a 2-7 disadvantage into an 8-7 lead, thanks to back-to-back treys from Ramos.
This momentum allowed Gilas to create a 22-12 lead at the end of the first, and their lead even ballooned to 12 in the second frame, thanks to Fajardo’s inside presence.
Yago Santos, former Chicago Bull Cristiano Felicio, Georginho de Paula and Didi Louzada then made crucial plays for Brazil as the first half neared its end, and this allowed them to only face a three-possession deficit at the end of the first 20 minutes of play.
Top scoring for them was former Toronto Raptor Bruno Caboclo, who had 15 markers, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Lucas Dias tallied 10.
Brazil is now awaiting the victor of the other semis clash between hosts Latvia and Cameroon.
The winner of the OQT will punch a ticket to the Paris Summer Games that starts on July 26.
Despite the painful defeat, Gilas can head home with their heads high after three competitive games against some of the world’s top teams, a campaign highlighted by their stunning upset of the host nation in their first game of the qualifiers. (ABS-CBN News)