FIBA: Gilas fails to advance to 2nd round after bowing to Italy

MANILA (UPDATED) -- The Philippines' bid to advance to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ended on Tuesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

This, after they absorbed a 90-83 defeat to world No. 10 Italy in their final game in Group A. It was their third straight loss in the group stage of the tournament.

Italy finished as the second seed in Group A behind the Dominican Republic and will move to the second round.

Gilas' chances of advancing to the second round of the tournament remained alive thanks to the Dominican Republic's win over Angola earlier in the night. However, they needed to defeat Italy by more than 13 points to clinch the second seed in Group A.

That would not happen, with the Italians instead breaking the Filipinos' hearts in front of over 11,000 fans at the Big Dome.

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Gilas' outside shooting clicked midway through the first quarter with Roger Pogoy and Dwight Ramos doing damage. A Jordan Clarkson layup gave them an 18-15 lead before Simone Fontecchio and Luigi Datome struck for Azzurri. But Rhenz Abando drained a booming trey and June Mar Fajardo sank a buzzer-beater to give the Philippines a 23-20 advantage.

The Italian shooters then asserted themselves as Giampaolo Ricci and Datome began knocking down treys while Gilas started fumbling with their shots. Abando and Clarkson managed to score for Gilas but Azzurri took a 48-39 halftime lead.

The Filipinos went toe-to-toe in scoring in the third canto but could not get a run going. This allowed Azzurri to stay ahead with Alesandro Pajola knocking down a buzzer-beater for Italy's 73-60 lead.

Clarkson launched a mini run with Jaime Malonzo 1:43 remaining in the fourth to cut the deficit to 88-81. But it proved too late as Azzuri walked away with the win.

Six Italians delivered double digits, all of them contributing from the three points area.

After making just a combined 12 three-pointers in their first two games in Group A, Italy found their range against Gilas Pilipinas. They made 17 of their 41 attempts from long range, with Giampaolo Ricci (14 points) and Marco Spissu (13) knocking down four three-pointers each. Simone Fontecchio added 18 points.

In contrast, the Filipinos struggled to find the mark on their home floor. Gilas went 10-of-29 from long distance, with Clarkson making just one of seven attempts. Italy also scored 21 second chance points to only 10 for the Philippines.

Clarkson carried the scoring duties for Gilas with 23 markers. Dwight Ramos was the only other Gilas player in double figures with 14 markers.

"We just came here to win the game, that's the most important thing. We knew when we lost to Dominican Republic that the only way to pass this group, we won today so we're really happy," said Spissu in the post-game press conference.

The Filipinos were hoping to beat the Italians by at least 13 points to overcome Azzuri's +14 differential as Gilas lost by 10 points, 80-70, against Angola last Sunday.

For his part, coach Chot Reyes praised to his team for fighting it out despite two deflating losses against the Dominican Republic and Angola.

"I'm very proud of the effort of our players," he said. "What a way to fight coming off those two painful losses to show up tonight and give their all against the top 10 team in the world, we couldn't ask for more."

"We came up short but continued to fight."

With another painful defeat, the Philippines is now relegated to the classification round. They will be in Group M, along with Angola and the third- and fourth-placers in Group B.

For more stories on the FIBA World Cup, click here.

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