Even at the end, Gilas Pilipinas could not catch a break in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
The Philippines finished as the last-placed team out of the 32 squads competing in the quadrennial meet in China, as the stars did not align for them.
The minus-147 margin Gilas tallied was the worst out of the four winless nations. It was 17 points higher than Japan, 45 points higher than Senegal, and 73 points higher than the Ivory Coast.
To avoid being last, Gilas hoped that Japan would lose to Montenegro by the more than 32 points; or that Jordan would fall to Senegal by a margin greater than 15 points.
Neither of that happened, as Japan “only” lost to Montenegro by 25 points, 65-80. Meanwhile, Jordan outright won over Senegal, 79-77.
Gilas struggled in the tournament right from the get-go.
In the group stages, the Philippines opened its campaign with a 62-108 rout at the hands of Itlay. Powerhouse Serbia then walloped Gilas 126-67, before the Filipinos lost in heartbreaking fashion to Angola, 81-84.
Things did not pick up for Gilas in the classification stages, as Tunisia and Iran romped the Nationals, 67-86 and 75-95, respectively.
Back in 2014, Gilas finished 21st among 24 teams, winning once in five outings. The Chot Reyes-led squad lost by just a total margin of 21 points.
