In a compelling turnaround, Gilas Pilipinas expressed its frustration by delivering a remarkable third-quarter onslaught against China. This remarkable performance culminated in a 96-75 victory, preventing a shutout in the FIBA World Cup held at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
Jordan Clarkson had an explosive game, amassing 34 points, including five successful three-pointers, in their concluding match during the classification phase. This impressive performance not only secured the win but also bolstered the Filipino team’s chances of securing a spot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Gilas concluded its FIBA World Cup campaign with a final record of 1-4.
Kai Sotto concluded the game with a total of 12 points and contributed six rebounds for Gilas. Additionally, Rhenz Abando made a noteworthy impact with 14 points on the scoreboard. Dwight Ramos, who was celebrating his birthday on that Saturday, also chipped in with 11 points for the team.
Kyle Anderson, known to NBA enthusiasts, posted a notable 17 points for China. Hu and Zhao also made significant contributions, each contributing 12 points to their team’s total.
“We just asked the players today to play with joy in their hearts and to dig deep,” said by the Gilas coach Chot Reyes.
“We just had two words, dig deep. And that’s what the players did. Playing for nothing but pride, but we wanted to gift the Filipino people with something to end our World Cup, and the players did it.”Â
Clarkson, on his part, expressed relief regarding his team’s performance.
“My teammates found me in transition, getting some open shots. I feel like this whole World Cup I really haven’t been able to get free and get into a super crazy rhythm just because how defenses were playing and stuff like that,” he said.
“But I just continued to stay with it. My teammates found me, got me open, I just made shots. It was great.”
Despite a promising start, where they narrowly lost 87-81 to the Dominican Republic, Gilas Philippines endured painful defeats against Angola (80-70) and Italy (90-83) during the group stage of the tournament. The team’s lowest point came with a resounding 87-68 loss to South Sudan, which eliminated them from contention for an Olympic berth.
However, this victory allowed Gilas to avoid finishing the World Cup without a win, a fate previously suffered by the Philippines in 1978 and Colombia in 1982.
In contrast, China was coming off an 83-76 victory over Angola after experiencing three consecutive losses in the group stage.