Gilas Pilipinas rallied from 21 points down before losing steam against South Sudan Thursday, 87-68, in the first of two classification games for the Nationals in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With the loss, the Philippines now trains its focus on Asian powerhouse China, looking to put everything on the line to salvage a lone victory at 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 2, and avert another bleak finish after the 2019 World Cup where the Philippines landed at 32nd-place.
The showdown with the Chinese, whom the Filipinos beat 96-87 during the preliminaries of the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, could be a prelude to their Asian Games encounter next month in Hangzhou as well.
Needing a victory over the South Sudanese – and the Chinese – to stay in contention for an Olympic berth in Paris next year as the best-placed Asian team in the 19th edition of the World Cup, the Nationals trailed early against the hot-shooting African qualifier and fell behind 51-30 late in the first half.
But clawing and scraping in putting together a rally in the third quarter, and with the hometown crowd roaring, Gilas Pilipinas, with Jordan Clarkson and Dwight Ramos leading the way, engineered a mighty second half fightback that brought it within 60-56 on a Kai Sotto dunk halfway in the fourth.
South Sudan found an answer, however, putting their fate in the hands of Chicago Bulls guard Carlik Jones, who rose to the challenge with clutch baskets on the drive that sparked a decisive closing 10-point breakaway.
Jones wound up with a near-triple-double of 17 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. Nuni Omot and Majok Deng chipped in 13 points apiece while Marial Shayok and Wenyen Gabriel added 12 and 11, respectively.
An earlier victory by Japan over Venezuela 86-77 at Okinawa Arena gave the World Cup co-host two victories so far, making it imperative for the Philippines to have beaten South Sudan and China in the classification round to keep pace.
But the South Sudanese proved incredibly efficient from afar, knocking down most of their total 12 treys late and sustaining a blistering transition game in building a 21-point advantage that cushioned the impact of Gilas Pilipinas’ comeback.
“This was the time for us to win and to execute, and like I said, we didn’t get the job done,” said head coach Chot Reyes.
“I’m really sorry that we were not able to deliver and I take full accountability. I take full responsibility.” The writing was already on the wall as the Filipinos started the game frosty cold, falling behind early 16-3.
Ramos sparked the Gilas Pilipinas uprising in the third frame, going on a personal 8-0 run to shove his team within striking distance 60-50. His teammates went on with the rally all throughout the third, limiting the Bright Stars to just nine points while exploding for 17.
Clarkson then turned on the heat even more at the start of the final frame, anchoring a 6-0 run to push Gilas Pilipinas within four. As valiant as it was, however, that proved to be the Nationals’ last stand.
Clarkson paced the Philippines with 24 points while Ramos added a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. AJ Edu chipped in 12 points and 14 boards.
With the latest defeat, Gilas Pilipinas saw its dream of returning to the Olympics via the World Cup fizzle out, 51 years after the last Philippine men’s basketball team, featuring Freddie Webb, Danny Florencio, Jimmy Mariano, and Bogs Adornado, among others, set foot in Munich, Germany and shared the stage with the world’s best.
The Olympic bid aside, beating China on Saturday would still be a huge achievement for the Philippines, considering China has won eight of the last 11 Asian Games titles, including four in a row from 1986 to 1998, and is the defending champion in the tournament.
Aside from that, the battle against a long-time basketball tormentor should give fans ample incentive to support Gilas Pilipinas, in what may very well be the last home game the Nationals will play in a FIBA World Cup.