GILAS SCORES STUNNING UPSET OVER WORLD NO. 6 LATVIA
MANILA, Philippines — Coming in as a major underdog, Gilas Pilipinas completed a huge role reversal after stunning world no. 6 Latvia behind its 89-80 upset right before the host squad's home floor to kick off its FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament campaign on a winning note on Thursday Philippine time.
As Filipino fans back in the Philippines kept themselves awake very early Thursday morning, they sure did not disappoint, what with the Philippines going off for an 8-0 start, before padding it to an 16-point lead, 32-16 on a buzzer-beating triple by CJ Perez.
The Philippines poured on the heat throughout the next two quarters, with Dwight Ramos' corner three-point shot off a Justin Brownlee kick-out giving Gilas its largest lead at 74-48.
While everything seemed to be going Gilas' way as its hot shooting managed to quiet the huge Latvian crowd at the Riga Arena, the sixth-ranked basketball team in the world staged one last fight that brought the Philippines' lead down to 79-71.
However, Brownlee just can't be denied, knowing down a crucial jump shot, before adding a rare four-point play to restore order for the 37th-ranked Philippines, 85-71.
That gave Gilas the much-needed cushion en route to knocking down Latvia, which placed fifth in last year's FIBA World Cup held in Manila.
As per FIBA, the victory marked the Philippines' first against a European team since 1960 when the Filipinos scored a narrow 84-82 triumph against Spain in the Rome Olympics.
Brownlee led Gilas with all-around performance of 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Young big man Kai Sotto added 18 points and eight rebounds, while Ramos chipped in 12, seven boards and four assists.
June Mar Fajardo finished with 11 points, five boards and three steals, while Chris Newsome chipped in 10 and four rebounds.
Interestingly, Gilas will try to replicate its hot shooting and solid defense when it faces Georgia, 23rd-ranked in the world, in less than 24 hours at the Riga Arena, (8:30 p.m. Philippine time).
A win will give Gilas a sweep of Group A and a clean entry into the crossover semifinals.
2024-07-04T00:25:48Z dg43tfdfdgfd