By REYNALD MAGALLON
What was expected to be a dream celebration in front of a wild, sold out crowd turned into another nightmare ending.
A valiant Gilas Pilipinas rally once again ended in vain, absorbing another heartbreaking 80-70 defeat at the hands of heftier Angola side in the Group A of the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, Aug. 27.
Gerson Domingos struck the dagger to the hearts of the hard-fighting Filipinos and their legion of 12, 784 fans after drilling a booming right corner triple with 47.5 seconds left that slammed the door on the desperate Gilas rally.
Down by as many as 16 points, 57-73 midway through the final frame and seemingly already waving the white flag, Jordan Clarkson, Rhenz Abando and Kai Sotto suddenly sparked an inspired Gilas comeback attempt which shoved them within five points, 78-73.
Needing one big stop, Gilas ganged up on NBA big man Bruno Fernando who then found a wide open Domingos deep in the corner. The 5-foot-10 guard then showed steely nerves, draining the triple that sent the rowdy crowd to a deafening silence.
Gerson Goncalves led the way for Angola with 17 points while Domingos added 15. They also combined for seven triples while Fernando held the fort with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Despite struggling to find his rhythm, Clarkson, once again paced the Filipinos with 21 points and seven assists.
Sad to say, no other Gilas player scoring in double-figures.
AJ Edu chipped in nine points and six rebounds while Sotto, RR Pogoy and Dwight Ramos finished with eight apiece.
With the win, Angola now tied Italy with a 1-1 record while Gilas was left at the bottom of the Group A s with a 0-2 slate.
All is not lost however for Gilas as a win against Italy and Dominican Republic win against Angola on Tuesday, Aug. 29, could force a triple tie for the second spot with three teams ending up with 1-2 records.
In the opening game, Dominican Republic pulled the rug from under world No. 10 Italy, 87-82.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Andres Feliz provided a one-two punch, both finishing with 24 points each as the Dominican seized the top spot in Group A.
In Group B action, Montenegro likewise asserted its might over Egypt, 89-75, to remain spotless through two games.
NBA big man Nikola Vucevic showed the way for the Black Mountains with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Over at Okinawa Arena, Dennis Schroder outdueled Patty Mills as Germany edged Australia, 85-82. Schroder exploded for 30 big points as the Germans also took a 2-0 record in the Group E standings.
