By: Aulyn Gwen Bergado, Andrea Ponce
Eduardo Francisco from Angola and Jordan Clarkson for Philippines battling out but ultimately failing the nation as strategies collapse. Photo courtesy of FIBA Philippines.
Gilas Pilipinas bitterly faced defeat against Angola in a landslide of events, eking out a 70-80 heartbreaker, in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City yesterday.
Jordan Clarkson continued to hold the light for Gilas as he accumulated game-high 21 points, seven assists and three rebounds as no other Filipino player scored in double digits.
AJ Edu contributed nine points and six boards while Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto and RR Pogoy churned out eight apiece in their loss to the World’s 41st-ranked basketball team.
In order to move to the second round, Gilas shall win their August 29 match against world no. 10 Italy by 13 points or higher to overtake Italy’s point difference and needs Angola to lose to Dominican Republic, for the Chot Reyes-led squad to secure a deadlock in second place with 1-2 slate alongside Italy and Angola.
The Black Antelopes repulsed Gilas' last-minute run as they maxed out their offensive gameplay which led to a 10-point gap at the end of the match.
In the first quarter, Gilas made their way to lead the scores with their offense-defense strategy, which put the Time Nacional side in a tricky spot.
Angola, not giving chances, dominated the court even before the second half ended, wherein the quarter favored their side as they gained an additional 24 points against Gilas' 14 hoarded points.
The situation at hand became a risky one for the Gilas, Clarkson and CJ Perez made every opportunity to take possession of the ball, but it didn't proceed as per the team's expectations.
Despite the circumstances, Kiefer Ravena executed a 2-point jump shot against Childe Dundao’s defense that tied up the score at 40.
Gilas proved that the game is not yet over as they cashed out an 11-0 blitz to cut the deficit by five through Clarkson’s efforts, but Gerson Domingos fired a triple which resulted in the second loss of the Filipino cagers in the qualifiers.
Black Antelope’s Goncalves piled up 17 points, six rebounds, and an assist for the respective team, followed by Domingos and Bruno Fernando tallied 15 and 14, respectively.
The Scores:
Quarter Scores: 19-12, 33-36, 52-56 , 70-80
Angola 80– Goncalves 17, Domingos 15, Fernando 14, Bango 10, de Sousa 10, Dundao 4, Kokila 4, Francisco 3, Paulo 2, Monteiro 1, Fernandes 0, Maconda 0.
Philippines 70– Clarkson 21, Edu, 9, Pogoy 8, Ramos 8, Sotto 8, Perez 7, Fajardo 4, Ravena 3, Abando 2, Aguilar 0, Malonzo 0, Thompson 0.