By REYNALD MAGALLON
It was the same story for the fourth time. But this one cut too deep with the Paris Olympics dream now blown away.
Gilas Pilipinas fought hard and showed heart but in the end suffered another misfortune after absorbing an 87-68 defeat at the hands of South Sudan in the classification round of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday, Aug. 31.
Gilas tried to battle back from a huge 21-point deficit, cutting the lead down to just six, 67-61, early in the final frame only to get the door slammed on them behind a blistering 10-0 run from Carlik Jones, Nuni Omot and Wenyen Gabriel.
Jones, who plays for Chicago Bulls in the NBA, proved to be the biggest thorn to the side of Gilas, unloading a near-triple-double of 17 points – including the two layups that kept South Sudan afloat against the roaring crowd and the rallying hosts — 14 assists and nine rebounds.
Omot and Majok Deng chipped in 13 points apiece while Marial Shayok and Gabriel ended up with 12 and 11, respectively.
Jordan Clarkson led the brave stand for Gilas with 24 points as he continued the uprising sparked by Dwight Ramos in the second half. Ramos added 20 points highlighted by a personal 8-0 run that kept Gilas within striking distance after being down by 51-33 at the break.
The huge second half fightback from Gilas came after news of Japan’s victory over Venezuela, 86-77, that put them well ahead of the Asian teams with now a 2-2 record.
The Filipinos, now 0-4, have no chance of becoming the best-placed Asian team even if it wins against China in its final game on Saturday, Sept. 2.
