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. –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.
Gilas Pilipina 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.