PRE-GAME CELEBRATION. Dwight Ramos turns 25 and gets a birthday cake prior to the Philippines-China match at the FIBA Basketball World Cup Classification 17-32 Round at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Saturday (Sept. 2, 2023). The Philippines ended its campaign with a first win in five games, 96-75. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)
MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas finished its campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup with a bang after ripping China apart, 96-75, in a crucial classification round game, witnessed by 11,080 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Saturday night.
With the winning margin, the Philippines notched its first FIBA World Cup home win after going 0-8 in 1978 and 0-4 to start the 2023 campaign.
It also earned a place in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) next year for finishing second in Group M following a tiebreaker with Angola and China.
Gilas will finish no worse than 24th place, well within the 4th to 27th cutoff for OQT-bound teams.
The win was a fitting farewell to coach Chot Reyes as he hinted that he is leaving the national team.
"I might have coached my last game already as Gilas Pilipinas coach," Reyes said during the press conference.
"We didn't perform and like I said the last game, I take full accountability and because of that, I think it's time for me to step aside. I hate to use the word resign because I'm not a quitter. I am not a quitter."
The deciding moment came in the third quarter when Jordan Clarkson erupted for 24 points even as Gilas outscored China, 34-11, to blow the game wide open.
Clarkson finished with 34 points, going 11-of-18 from the field, with two rebounds, three assists and one steal.
"My teammates found me in transition, getting some open shots. I feel like this whole World Cup I really haven't been able to get free and get into a super crazy rhythm just because how defenses were playing and stuff like that. But I just continued to stay with it. My teammates found me, got me open, I just made shots. It was great," Clarkson said in the press conference.
He also thanked the fans for the support until they got the win.
"We definitely wanted to get a win and go home with one at least. But yeah, they showed love the whole time, supported us, stayed behind us, so we kept continuing to fight," the Utah Jazz mainstay said.
Rhenz Abando added 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block for Gilas.
Kyle Anderson led China with 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and one steal.
"I want to say sorry. We let our Chinese fans down and after this game I have a deeper understanding of basketball. I will change my practice and attitude. As a guard, I didn’t lead my team well. I will improve that," China guard Rui Zhao said.
Japan earns Paris ticket
Meanwhile, tournament co-host Japan earned its place in the 2024 Paris Olympics after beating Cape Verde, 80-71, at Okinawa Arena.
Japan turned things around in the second quarter, outscoring Cape Verde 33-18 to open a 50-37 halftime lead.
It would stretch the lead to as much as 20 points, 73-53, late in the third quarter, but Cape Verde went on an 18-1 run spanning through the fourth period to trim the gap to just 74-71, only 72 seconds remaining.
Josh Hawkinson closed out the game for Japan, converting a three-point play and a dagger triple in the next two offensives.
Hawkinson finished with 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists, four blocks and one steal for Japan, which will play in its second straight Olympics after emerging the best Asian team in the World Cup with a 3-2 record.
Keisei Tominaga added 22 points on six triples, one rebound, two assists and one steal.
Shane Da Rosa and Edy Tavares each scored 11 for Cape Verde. (PNA)
