Gilas Pilipinas Basketball

BOCAUE — Gilas Pilipinas put up a spirited effort but lost steam in the end to fall to Dominican Republic, 81-87 in a historic yet bittersweet FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 opener at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

Bannered by Minnesota Timberwolves all-star Karl-Anthony Towns who tallied 26 points and 10 rebounds, the Caribbean nation fought toe to toe against the World Cup co-hosts before pulling away in the fourth quarter with key baskets and stops.

Back-to-back triples by Andres Feliz and Antonio Peña pushed Dominican Republic up, 75-72 with under six minutes left in regulation. Later, Towns pushed the lead up to five, 81-76.

Jordan Clarkson fouled out with three minutes left, but the home team pulled within 81-79 after free throws from June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu.

However, Victor Liz and Jean Montero responded in the end. Montero’s driving layup with 14 seconds to go gave the visitors an 86-79 lead and put the game away.

Clarkson top-scored for the Philippines with 28 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists. However, he shot only 9-of-24 from the field and committed eight turnovers.

Fajardo added 16 points and seven boards, going a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor. Dwight Ramos added 13 points.

Liz backstopped Towns with 18 points, while Feliz had an all-around line of 12 points, six boards, and eight dimes.

The Dominican Republic dominated the offensive glass, out-rebounding Gilas, 17-3 which led to a 15-2 advantage in second chance points. The squad also scored 26 points off 19 Gilas turnovers.

The Philippines will face Angola next on Sunday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum while the Dominican Republic squares off against Italy in a battle of unbeaten Group A teams.

Boxscores:

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.

Gilas Pilipinas (81) – Clarkson 28, Fajardo 16, Ramos 13, Edu 7, Pogoy 6, Thompson 5, Abando 2, Aguilar 2, Ravena 2, Malonzo 0, Sotto 0.Quarter scores: 22-18, 42-42, 66-64, 87-81.

Written by Levi Joshua Verora Jr.
Photos from fiba.basketball