Tag: falls

Gilas falls short vs Georgia, but still headed to Fiba OQT semis

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Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee puts on another sensational game against Georgia to help secure the Fiba OQT semifinals ticket. –FIBA PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas overcame a horrendous start before settling for a 96-94 loss at the hands of Georgia and still locking a semifinal spot in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OTQ) in Riga, Latvia.

Gilas trailed by as many as 20 points before closing the gap on the world No. 23 Georgia, which needed to win by 19 points to eliminate the Philippines and join host Latvia in the crossover knockout phase.

The Nationals will face either Brazil or Cameroon in the final phase, with Gilas now just two wins away from a historic return to the Summer Olympic Games.

HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Georgia Fiba OQT July 4

“We got this stop done and now we’ve got another step to take. And I think that’s where the focus is and hopefully where the focus is of our guys,” national coach Tim Cone said of the next phase.

Justin Brownlee finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Gilas once again at Arena Riga on Thursday.

Dwight Ramos and CJ Perez chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively, while Chris Newsome had 13 as the Filipinos reaped the benefits of beating World No. 6 Latvia less than 24 hours ago at the same venue.

READ: Gilas Fiba OQT win over Latvia puts spotlight on Tim Cone’s triangle offense

“We were down 20 at various points of the game and one little streak here or there we could’ve been down 30 and we’re going home and using those flight tickets we have for tomorrow,” said Cone with a chuckle. “But they really showed their resilience.”

“We’ve been saying, it’s the first time we’ve felt good about losing,” he added.

Filipino fans at Arena Riga cheering for Gilas Pilipinas against Georgia.

Filipino fans at Arena Riga cheering for Gilas Pilipinas against Georgia. –FIBA BASKETBALL

The Georgians, anchored by NBA big men Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze, looked on track for a semifinal berth thanks to a blistering 16-0 start built on pinpoint shooting.

They pushed the lead to as big as 40-20 in the second quarter before Brownlee and June Mar Fajardo, who finished with six points and six rebounds, kept the Nationals within striking distance before halftime.

READ: Gilas’ Justin Brownlee ‘Michael Jordan of PH basketball’

Georgia fumbled its chance to take full control in the third period when it had no answer against cutthroat fightback led by Perez and youngster Carl Tamayo, who chipped in seven in the surge including the 3 that tied the game at 70.

Already down to 11 men before flying to Riga, the Philippines managed to do well despite not having center Kai Sotto for most of the game after he hurt his right rib in the first half.

“We’ve lost Kai early and never got him back in the game. He’s in the hospital checking out his rib whether that’s an x-ray, we have no news on that yet how far or whether he’ll go forward. But the fact is we lost him but still fought our way back into the game,” said Cone.

Georgia found itself in a bind in the semifinals hunt following an 83-55 beatdown at the hands of Latvia two days ago.

The semifinal games in Riga are scheduled for Saturday.

The Scores:

Georgia 96 – Mamukelashvili 26, Bitadze 21, Shengelia 17, Thomasson 14, Sanadze 13, Andronikashvili 5, Ochkhikidze 0, Londaridze 0, Korsantia 0, Jintcharadze 0.

Philippines 94 – Brownlee 28, Ramos 16, Pere, 14, Newsome 13, Tamayo 7, Fajardo 6, Sotto 4, Oftana 4, Aguilar 2, Quiambao 0, Amos 0.

Bahamas tops Finland in OQT opener, Slovenia falls to Croatia

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Bahamas’ guard #07 Buddy Hield drives the ball against Finland’s guard #34 Jacob Grandison during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament basketball match between Finland and Bahamas in Valencia, on July 2, 2024. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN / AFP)

Buddy Hield and the Bahamas are a step closer to the Paris Olympics. Luka Doncic and Slovenia are now facing an uphill battle to get there.

Hield scored 24 points, Valdez Edgecombe Jr. added 20 and the Bahamas beat Finland 96-85 on Tuesday in the first game of the Olympic qualifying tournament at Valencia, Spain.

“We grinded it out. Grinded out a win today,” Hield said. “Staying together, figuring it out. Game of basketball is a game of runs. First half, we didn’t quite figure it out.”

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba OQT in Riga, Latvia

The tournaments in Spain and Greece were two of four that started on Tuesday to determine the last four spots in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments are being held in Latvia and Puerto Rico, both of them also starting on Tuesday. Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and four games with Olympic berths on the line set for Sunday.

The Bahamas closed the game on a 44-21 run over the final 17 minutes, erasing what was a 12-point second-half deficit.

But for Slovenia, there was no comeback. At Piraeus, Greece, Croatia led by as many as 29 points and rolled to a 108-92 win. Doncic had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for Slovenia, while Croatia had a its own triple-double — 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists — from Dario Saric, along with 21 points from Goran Filipovic and 18 points in 19 minutes from Ivica Zubac.

Luka Doncic Slovenia vs Croatia Fiba OQT

Slovenia’s Luka Doncic reacts during the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament basketball match at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens on July 2, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

Croatia can qualify for the semifinals on Wednesday with a win over New Zealand. Slovenia must beat New Zealand on Thursday to have any chance of keeping its Olympic hopes alive.

“Croatia played great,” Doncic said. “They outplayed us. … I’ve got to play way better than this and we’ve got to play with way better energy.”

Doncic was dealing with injuries during the NBA Finals when Dallas lost to Boston, and he was clearly laboring at times on Tuesday as well. But he insisted he would keep going.

“It’s an honor for me to play for my country,” Doncic said. “A lot of times, there’s going to be injuries. But I just see a big honor for me to play for my country. We’re 2 million people and to represent my country, it means everything to me.”

READ: Doncic, Antetokounmpo shoot for last shot at Paris Olympics

Deandre Ayton scored 19 and Eric Gordon added 16 for the Bahamas, who can advance to the qualifier’s knockout round by beating Poland on Wednesday. It is an interesting mix for the Bahamas; three starters are NBA players, but the starting point guard is Lourawls Nairn — a former Michigan State player and now the associate head coach at Bowling Green.

“He’s a coaches’ dream and I think the players love playing with him,” Bahamas coach Chris DeMarco said. “He definitely belongs and he could be doing this for a living, but he pursued a different career.”

Mikael Jantunen and Edon Maxhuni each scored 20 for Finland, which faces Poland on Thursday.

Spain 104, Lebanon 59
At Valencia, host Spain rolled behind 17 points from Santi Aldama, 15 from Usman Garuba and 14 from Jaime Pradilla. Spain can wrap up a spot in the semifinals with a win over Angola on Wednesday.

Youssef Khayat scored 20 for Lebanon, which faces Angola on Thursday.

Brazil 81, Montenegro 72

At Riga, Latvia, Brazil trailed for most of the game but outscored Montenegro 29-16 in the fourth quarter to pull off the comeback.

Bruno Caboclo had 25 points and nine rebounds for Brazil, while Marcelinho Huertas added 17 points.

Nikola Vucevic led Montenegro with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Montenegro must beat Cameroon on Wednesday to keep hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. Brazil faces Cameroon on Thursday.

Latvia 83, Georgia 55

At Riga, host Latvia outscored Georgia 28-11 in the second quarter to take complete control and rolled to the opening win.

Arturs Strautins scored 18 points on 5-for-5 shooting to lead a balanced Latvian scoring attack, while Mareks Mejeris scored 11 (also shooting 5-for-5) and Rolands Smits finished with 10.

Sandro Mamukelashvili led Georgia with 14 points.

Latvia can clinch a semifinal spot by beating the Philippines on Wednesday. Georgia and the Philippines play on Thursday to close the group round.

Dominican Republic 90, Egypt 77

At Piraeus, Jean Montero scored 17 points, and the Dominican Republic used a 14-0 run spanning the end of the second quarter and start of the third quarter to pull away.

Chris Duarte scored 14 points, Victor Liz had 12 and Angel Nunez finished with 11 for the Dominican Republic.

Ahmed Metwaly led Egypt with 24 points.

The Dominican Republic can clinch a semifinal spot if it beats Greece on Wednesday. Egypt plays Greece on Thursday and must win to have any hope of advancing to the semifinals.

Italy 114, Bahrain 53

At San Juan, Puerto Rico, Danilo Gallinari and Nicolo Melli each scored 14 points and Italy finished with seven players in double figures.

Ahmed Haji scored 12 points to lead Bahrain, which gave up the game’s final 19 points.

Bahrain must beat Puerto Rico on Wednesday to have any shot at the semifinals. Italy plays Puerto Rico on Thursday.

Lithuania 96, Mexico 84

At San Juan, Lithuania opened the second half on a 27-7 run that carried it to an opening win.

Marius Grigonis led the way with 21 points for Lithuania, while Tadas Sedekerskis added 12. Domantas Sabonis finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Joshua Ibarra scored 18 for Mexico.



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Lithuania would reach Saturday’s semifinals with a win over Ivory Coast on Wednesday. Mexico plays Ivory Coast on Thursday, likely to decide another semifinal berth.

Gilas Pilipinas fightback falls short vs Poland ahead of OQT

On: By: admin


Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee defends Poland’s Jeremy Sochan during a tune-up game. Photo from Wojciech Figurski / Polish Basketball Federation

Gilas Pilipinas’ comeback machine faded anew on Sunday morning (Manila time) in its third and final friendly geared toward the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The Nationals fell to world No. 15 Poland, 82-80, at Sosnowiec Arena, unable to pocket a win in Europe right before plunging into the all-important OQT in Riga, Latvia, that will send one team into the Paris Summer Olympic Games late next month.

Justin Brownlee was the tip of the Gilas spear once again, finishing with 30 points. Dwight Ramos chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds after turning in just four in the loss against EuroBasket-bound Turkey two nights ago.

READ: Moral wins don’t count for Gilas Pilipinas in OQT buildup

Looking dead in the water with about three minutes left in the final period, the Filipinos went on a cutthroat run behind Ramos to pull within five, 82-77.

Gilas had 1:43 left to make something. But a Chris Newsome freebie and a late CJ Perez basket were the only plays the Nationals could pull off in that stretch.

June Mar Fajardo added 10 points, while Kai Sotto 8 and 11 boards in the stand that had the Philippines going 1-2 (win-loss) in its preparatory games for the OQT.

The Philippines looked sharp and poised for a commendable outing right off the jump thanks to a balanced attack from Brownlee, Ramos, Fajardo, and Kai Sotto, even putting together a nine-point edge in the opening frame.

But second-period miscues that cost Gilas several good looks and sent the Jeremy Sochan-led Poles to the charity stripe one too many times proved to be the swing the hosts needed to create a gulf that the Nationals would fall short of closing.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas loses to Turkey in tune-up ahead of OQT

Michał Sokołowski and Aleksander Balcerowski led the way for the White and Red with 21 and 10 points, respectively. Sochan, who is plying his trade in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs, added eight points.

The Poles are also priming for the other OQT that will be held in Valencia, Spain. There, they will be battling against Finland and the Bahamas for a chance to take on the winners from the other bracket featuring Lebanon, Angola, and traditional powerhouse Spain.

Gilas’ lone win in its three-game series of friendlies came against the visiting Taiwan Mustangs last Sunday.

The 11-man Philippine squad will play Latvia and then Georgia in Group A of the Riga OQT that gets going at midnight of July 2 (Manila time).

Both Latvia and Georgia have wrapped up their test games as well. The World No. 6 OQT hosts wound up with a 1-1 card winning against Egypt and then losing to Finland. The Georgians, meanwhile, stumbled against Italy and Cameroon before finally prevailing against Egypt.

The Scores:

Poland: Sokołowski 21, Balcerowski 10, Pluta 8, Sochan 8, Ponitka 7, Zyskowski 6, Milicici 5, Dziewa 5, Michalak 5, Nizioł 5, Mazurczak 2, Żołnierewicz 0.

The Philippines: Brownlee 30, Ramos 16, Fajardo 10, Sotto 8, Newsome 6, Aguliar 4, Tamayo 4, Perez 2, Oftana 0, Quiambao 0.



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Quarterscores 16-23, 41-38, 58-56, 82-80.