HAVING exhausted their remaining stakes, Gilas Pilipinas will now face China purely for pride at 8 p.m. Saturday, September 2, in the Group M classification game of the FIBA World Cup 2023.
With dreams of an automatic ticket to the Paris Olympics shattered the Philippines sets its sights on ending its World Cup journey on a high note.
The game against China is "no bearing, except the pride to fight for the country, for service, which is exactly why we're here in the first place. No matter how difficult this job us, we have to play our best this Saturday," Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes said in a post-game press conference streamed via Fiba YouTube channel following their 68-87 loss to South Sudan on Thursday night, August 31, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
South Sudan started the game with a commanding 16-3 lead and stretched it to a 17-point advantage during the first quarter. By the second quarter, their lead had ballooned to 21 points, but the home team was determined to give their enthusiastic crowd of 9,250 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum something to cheer for. Despite an explosive start to the third quarter with Dwight Ramos scoring eight consecutive points, South Sudan maintained their composure, regaining control of the game, thwarting Gilas Pilipinas' comeback efforts, even as a once 21-point lead dwindled to just four as the final period began.
"I don't think anything really needs to be said. We played our worst game when it counted the most. The early burst by South Sudan, we had a tremendous fightback. But we spent too much energy trying to close it and didn't have enough to finish it. It's unfortunate that this was the time for us to shoot under 40 percent from the field. We couldn't make shots, I guess that's the story," Reyes said.
The Philippines' hopes of securing a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics were dashed after their loss. This disappointment came as Japan secured an 86-77 victory against Venezuela in their classification match at the Okinawa Arena on August 31. Japan now boasts two wins out of four games, having previously secured a 98-88 victory over Finland in their initial Group E encounter during the first round. It's important to note that the Fiba World Cup 2024 provides an automatic slot to the highest-ranked Asian team.
Reyes said, "(It's) unfortunate we knew that this was the game we absolutely had to win because somebody would get the win. I am very disappointed. I'm not surprised Japan won; that's why I knew this was the game we really absolutely had to win. We lost our Olympic dream for now, for this World Cup."
Meanwhile, other Asian teams, such as China and Lebanon, have notched a win each, while the Philippines still seeks its first victory after four outings.
"We're very, very down. There's nothing else we can say; the morale is very low. Our job now is to get everyone ready for the next game, which has to start with our mindset and emotional heartset. As difficult as disappointing the campaign has been so far, I am still very proud of the effort the guys put themselves on the line. Things just didn't get our way. We'll focus on the next game, (there's) one more game to be played," Reyes added.
Gilas center AJ Edu, for his part, said it was a tough loss, but he's still proud of his teammates. "The fight we had to bring that game back down to four points just shows the heart that we have. Just really proud of everyone. I just want to encourage everyone to keep their heads up because we still have one more game," Edu added.
Reflecting on his team's winless performance, Reyes said he already apologized to Filipino fans. "Numerous times, I already said I'm really sorry that we were not able to deliver, and I take full accountability, I take full responsibility," he added. MLSA