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FIBA World Cup: Battered twice, Gilas eyes ‘good match-up’, 1st win vs Angola

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/09/03/20190903-paul-lee-co-fiba-basketball.jpg"/><figcaption>Already out of second-round contention, Paul Lee and the Philippines look for win No. 1 when they face Angola in Group D play on Wednesday. Game time is at 3:30 p.m. FIBA.basketball</figcaption></figure></div>FOSHAN, China—Gilas Pilipinas is moving on from a pair of brutal losses to Serbia and Italy, and is now focused on what the Filipino players say is a &quot;must-win&quot; game against Angola in its final game of the group round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.Both teams have a 0-2 record in Group D, having lost by big margins to the European powerhouses.Angola absorbed a 105-59 loss to Serbia, before bowing to Italy, 92-61. The Philippines, meanwhile, was clobbered by Italy, 108-62, and was dealt a similarly huge defeat by Serbia, 126-67.While both teams are already eliminated from the second round and are moving on to the classification phase, the Philippines and Angola are equally determined to head into Beijing on a winning note.Game time is at 3:30 p.m., still at the Foshan International Sports and Cultural Center.&quot;Every game is important, every point is important, every possession is important. Obviously we&#x27;re disappointed, but we have to quickly forget about this game and start preparing for the Philippines,&quot; said Angola coach Will Voigt after their loss to Italy on Monday night.Gilas Pilipinas center June Mar Fajardo said the game against Angola was a &quot;must win&quot; for them.&quot;Siyempre, kailangan nating manalo para &#x27;yun nga, dadalhin natin &#x27;yun doon sa classification. Then may chance tayo para tumaas &#x27;yung world ranking natin,&quot; said Fajardo after the Philippine team wrapped up its practice at the Foshan International Sports and Cultural Centere here.CJ Perez, the rookie guard who has been the Philippines&#x27; most consistent performer in the World Cup, added: &quot;Kailangan namin ipanalo &#x27;yung game bukas para makabawi naman kami sa mga kababayan natin and sa kila coach.&quot; At No. 39 in the FIBA rankings, Angola is the first lower-ranked team that Gilas Pilipinas will face in the World Cup. The Philippines is ranked 31st in the world.Yet while the Filipinos are favored over Angola, at least on paper, Gilas Pilipinas head coach Yeng Guiao is anticipating no less than a &quot;really tight&quot; game on Wednesday afternoon.&quot;I feel Angola is a strong team, and Italy and Serbia are just in a class by themselves and not at our level. But I guess Angola and the Philippines would be a good match-up,&quot; he said.Guiao pointed out that Angola has the size to contend with the Philippines, as it features 6-foot-10 big man Joaquim Valdelicio and 6-foot-9 center Yanick Moreira. Guard Carlos Morais has also impressed, averaging 12.5 points per game while shooting 40% from beyond the arc.&quot;Some of those players have played Euroleague and Division 1 basketball, actually,&quot; said Guiao. &quot;So it&#x27;s going to be a tough match-up for us, especially coming from these tough two losses.&quot;&quot;We have to lift up the spirits of the guys to be able to play well in the next game.&quot;Guiao hopes the Philippines will finally find its outside touch against Angola, after shooting a combined 7-for-47 from beyond the arc against Italy and Serbia. The Filipinos will also try to establish their inside presence, with much being expected from Andray Blatche, Fajardo, and even Japeth Aguilar.&quot;In the international game, you cannot stop taking the 3s, especially if you&#x27;re a small team. So we will keep doing that, and we will always have to include that as part of our strategy,&quot; said Guiao.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

Already out of contention, the Philippines and Angola look for win No. 1 when they face each other in Group D on Wednesday. Game time is at 3:30 p.m.

Already out of contention, the Philippines and Angola look for win No. 1 when they face each other in Group D on Wednesday. Game time is at 3:30 p.m.

FIBA World Cup: Battered twice, Gilas eyes ‘good match-up’, 1st win vs Angola

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FIBA World Cup: Battered twice, Gilas eyes ‘good match-up’, 1st win vs Angola

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 04, 2019 04:09 AM PHT

Read More:

2019 FIBA World Cup

Gilas Pilipinas

Yeng Guiao

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