A STUNNER in Riga.
Gilas Pilipinas did what some thought was unthinkable, beating Latvia, 89-80, right on its home court in a fantastic start to its FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament campaign on Wednesday (Thursday Philippine time)
The Philippines opened with an 8-0 start and maintained a gap that reached as high as 26 points until the final buzzer in a shocking win against the world's sixth-ranked team and fifth-placer in last year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila.
READ Gilas' sizzling start leaves Latvia in 16-point hole at halftime
With Filipino basketball fans watching the game in the wee hours of the morning, Gilas had to survive nervy moments in the fourth quarter following a late comeback that saw the host team cut the lead to single digits at 8, 71-79.
But Justin Brownlee responded with a clutch jumper then nailed a crucial four-point play with 3:29 left to bring the lead back to 85-71 and Chris Newsome buried two free throws with 1:21 left to make it an 87-77 ballgame.
A stunned crowd of mostly Latvian fans at the Arena Riga witnessed what could go down as one of the biggest upsets in FIBA history, which put world No. 37 Gilas in a position to make an unlikely trip the semifinals of the tournament, which stakes one spot to the Paris Olympics.
According to Fiba, this win was the Philippines' first against a European side since FIBA since 1960, when it beat Spain, 84-82, during the Rome Olympics.
With less than 24 hours to prepare, Gilas returns to Arena Riga to face Georgia on Thursday, 3:30 p.m. local time (Thursday, 8:30 p.m. Philippine standard time) where it will go for a sweep of the group and direct passage to the crossover semifinals.
Brownlee finished with 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists to power Gilas Pilipinas to the huge victory against the hosts, who the day before looked so impressive in a 28-point win over world No. 23 Georgia.
Kai Sotto had 18 points, eight rebounds, and one assist which led to a June Mar Fajardo basket to open the game. Sotto also made a three-point play while Brownlee beat the shotclock with a trey to set the tone for the match.
READ Sleep-deprived Pinoy fans in a state of ecstacy after shock Gilas win
In another stroke of good luck, CJ Perez hit a buzzer-beating three to end the first quarter for a 32-16 Philippine advantage.
An 11-0 run allowed Gilas to extend its lead further to 74-48 in the third quarter, that sizable gap that proved to be enough to cushion Latvia’s late run.
Dwight Ramos added 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Fajardo had 11 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Newsome added 10 while doing much of the ball-handling chores for Tim Cone's team.
Rodions Kurucs had 18 points for Latvia, which dealt with the absence of top point guard Arturs Zagars as well as the Boston Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis.
Gilas' defense held Arturs Strautins to just six points after going 18 in the hosts' 83-55 victory over Georgia on Tuesday.
The scores:
Philippines 89 – Brownlee 26, Sotto 18, Ramos 12, Fajardo 11, Newsome 10, Perez 6, Quiambao 3, Aguilar 2, Tamayo 1, Oftana 0.
Latvia 80 – Kurucs 18, Dav. Bertans 10, Strelnieks 10, Zoriks 10, Smits 9, Strautins 6, Lomazs 6, Dar. Bertans 5, Timma 3, Mejeris 1.
Quarters: 32-16; 54-38; 67-56; 89-80.
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