The Philippines men’s national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, lost to Angola, 80-70, in their FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers game on Sunday, August 27th at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. This defeat left Gilas Pilipinas winless in Group A of the tournament.
Gilas Pilipinas had a strong start to the game, taking a 19-12 lead after the first quarter. However, Angola responded with a strong second quarter, outscoring Gilas Pilipinas 24-14 to take a 36-33 lead at halftime.
Angola continued to control the game with their defense in the second half, and they extended their lead to as many as 16 points in the fourth quarter with 3:39 remaining in the game. Gilas Pilipinas made a late comeback attempt, but they could not get closer than 5 points but there was only 1:12 remaining in the game.
Gilas Pilipinas had a chance to clinch their first FIBA World Cup win in nearly a decade, but they were unable to overcome Angola’s strong defense. The game was expected to be a dream celebration for Gilas Pilipinas in front of a wild, sold-out crowd, but it turned into a nightmare.
Jordan Clarkson led Gilas Pilipinas with 21 points, 3 rebs and 7 assists, but he shot just 7-of-22 from the field and -14 in the plus/minus column. Kai Sotto added 8 points and 6 rebounds, and Dwight Ramos had 8 points.
On the Angola side, Gerson Goncalves led team with 17 points and 6 rebs, and Gerson Domingos added 15 points and 7 assists. Bruno Fernando, who had an emphatic dunk against Clarkson early in the game, added 14 points and 7 rebounds.
You can checkout the Statsheet of Gilas Pilipinas below;
Statsheet of Gilas Pilipinas' 80-70 loss to Angola
Highlights:
-Gilas shot just 4/22 (18%) from threes, compared to 9/31 for Angola
-Angola had more offensive rebounds, 20-12
-Jordan Clarkson had 21 points but only shot 7/22
-Gerson Goncalves had 17pts 4/8 3s @spinph https://t.co/ZaBXiZyUrX pic.twitter.com/ZZul3CxrT3— Reuben Terrado (@reubensports) August 28, 2023
This game was crucial for Gilas Pilipinas as they were looking to advance to the next round of the tournament. Unfortunately, they were unable to secure a win against Angola. Despite this setback, Gilas Pilipinas remained determined to bounce back in their next game against Italy.
