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Posts tagged as “Pilipinas”

Sotto, Ramos Lead Gilas Pilipinas to Crucial Home Win Over Iran (68 – 56)

August 31, 2026
Sotto, Ramos Lead Gilas Pilipinas to Crucial Home Win Over Iran (68 – 56)

In a high-stakes clash during the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Gilas Pilipinas erased an early 13-point deficit to defeat long-time regional rival Iran, 68–56, before a raucous crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Philippines turned a slow start into a decisive victory, driven by a dominant second-half defensive lockdown and a late 14–2 run.

Kai Sotto served as the ultimate game-changer for Gilas, posting a monster double-double with 13 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and a game-high 22 efficiency rating while dominating the paint. Dwight Ramos sparked the initial comeback by scoring seven consecutive points late in the second quarter, finishing tied with Juan Gómez de Liaño for a team-high 16 points along with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.

The victory improves Gilas Pilipinas to a 4–4 record in Group E. More importantly, it narrows the gap between the Philippines and the upper-tier teams—putting Gilas just one win behind both Jordan and Iran (5–3). Psychologically, sweeping this home window provides momentum and proves the squad’s tactical execution under pressure.

Full game highlights

Gilas Path to Direct World Cup Qualification
To earn direct entry into the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar, Gilas Pilipinas must navigate the following conditions in the upcoming qualifier windows;

  • Secure a Top-3 Group E Finish: Asia-Oceania gets 7 direct slots outside host Qatar. Gilas must overtake either Jordan or Iran to grab the 3rd seed, or finish as the highest-ranked 4th-place team across Group E and Group F.
  • Capitalize on Crossover Matches: Gilas must sweep remaining matchups against lower-ranked teams like Syria and steal key road games against Iran and Jordan in upcoming windows.
  • Protect Point Differential: FIBA tiebreakers rely heavily on head-to-head records and net point margins, making every point crucial in close Group E standings.

The fifth window of the second round is set from the November 27th thru the 30th, where the Philippines will face Syria and Iran.

Brazil defeats Gilas Pilipinas, advances to the Finals of FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024

July 7, 2024
Brazil defeats Gilas Pilipinas, advances to the Finals of FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024

Brazil will advance to the Finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 and will be one win away to compete at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. They defeated Gilas Pilipinas in a hard-fought 71-60 victory on Saturday, July 6, 2024.

A dominant third quarter sealed the deal for Brazil. Led by Bruno Caboclo’s double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Lucas Dias’ strong showing (10 points and 9 rebounds), they turned the tide. Brazil tightened their defense, limiting Gilas to just 6 points in the third while exploding for 24 of their own.

Gilas Pilipinas was missing the services of big-man Kai Sotto. Additionally, Justin Brownlee’s, the hero of the first two games, was limited to the just 15 points and 8 rebounds. Brownlee averages 27 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists, prior to the Brazil game.

Brazil will face Latvia in the Finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024. The winner of this game will claim one of the four remaining spots for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26th, 2024.

Despite the loss, Gilas Pilipinas can hold their heads high. They will surely have another opportunity to compete on the world stage.

Gilas Pilipinas Falls to Dominican Republic in FIBA World Cup 2023 Opener (87-81)

August 26, 2023
Gilas Pilipinas Falls to Dominican Republic in FIBA World Cup 2023 Opener (87-81)
Image: FIBA

Gilas Pilipinas fell to the Dominican Republic, 87-81, in their opening game of the FIBA World Cup 2023 at the Philippines Arena in Bulacan on Friday, August 25, 2023.

It was a close game in first three quarters of the game, the Philippines got off to a hot start, falling behind Dominican Republic by 4 pts at the end of first quarter. Gilas made a run in the 2nd qtr that ended in a deadlock at 42 – 42.

The Dominican Republic ended the 3rd qtr leading by 2 behind the dominant game of Jean Montero and Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored a team high 26 points and 10 rebs.

The Philippines tried to rally in the last qtr but a late run by the Dominican Republic and Jordan Clarkson fouling out in the final quarter denied the Philippines an upset in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Clarkson finished with 28 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists before fouling out. The final score was 87-81 in favor of the Dominican Republic.

Junmar Fajardo led the Pinoys with 16 pts and 7 rebs, followed by Dwight Ramos with 13 pts, 6 rebs and two assists.

The loss was a tough one for Gilas Pilipinas, since Gilas was right there to take win, but they will have a chance to bounce back when they face Angola on Sunday, Aug 27, 2023 at the Arena Coliseum.

The Scores
Dominican Republic 87 – Towns 26, Liz 18. Feliz 12, Delgado 6, Montero 6, Figueroa 5, Peña 5, Vargas 5, Mendoza 2, Quiñones 2, Solano 0.

Philippines 81 – Clarkson 28, Fajardo 16, Ramos 13, Edu 7, Pogoy 6, Thompson 5, Abando 2, Aguilar 2, Ravena 2, Malonzo 0, Sotto 0.

Quarters: 22-18, 42-42, 66-64, 87-81.

Gilas defeats Saudi Arabia to close the Window 5 of 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier (63 – 76)

November 13, 2022
Gilas defeats Saudi Arabia to close the Window 5 of 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier (63 – 76)

Gilas Pilipinas will remain undefeated as they beat Saudi Arabia in the Window 5 of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2023. The game was held at the King Abdullah Sports City, in Jeddah, even though it’s the home court of Saudi Arabian team, the crowd was predominantly composed of OFW, which felt more like a home for the Filipino cagers.

It a close game at the start, where both teams came out firing in all cylinders, it was a tie game (16-16) by the end of the first quarter. Gilas Pilipinas started to pickup steam in the 2nd quarter, where they scored a game high of 25 points, and ended the first half holding on to a 6 point lead.

It’s in the 3rd qtr when the Gilas started to separate themselves with the help of Roger Pogoy who contributed 13 pts on a 5 to 12 shooting. But it was Kai Sotto to made the most contribution chipping in 11 points, a game high 9 rebounds and 5 blocks, with 2 assists, 1 steal on a 23 player efficiency (EFF).

In the 4th quarters, the Saudi tried to make one last push but with the leadership and timely hustle plays of Scottie Thompsons with 9 pts, 3 assists, 9 rebs and 2 steals on a 18 eff, Gilas made sure that it will a night to remember for all the OFW in the arena.

Saudi Arabia vs 🇵🇭 Philippines | Basketball Highlights

Here are the scores;

By Quarters: 16-16, 31-25, 55-45, 76-63.

Philippines 76 – D. Ramos 13, R. Pogoy 13, K. Sotto 11, C. Perez 10, S. Thompson 9, B. Parks 8, J. Aguilar 6, A. Kouame 5, J. Malonzo 1, C. Oftana 0, P. Erram 0, K. Quiambao 0.

Saudi Arabia 63 – Ma. Almarwani 19, Abdel Gabar 16, Mo. Almarwani 8, M. Kadi 6, H. Aljohar 5, A. Ashoor 4, Ali Shubayli 2, T. Mohammed 2, F. Belal 1, M. Saleh 0, A. Almuwallad 0, O. Albargawi 0.

Image: FIBA