Gilas Pilipinas suffered another setback in their preparations for the upcoming 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, falling to Finland, 85-89, on Thursday (Manila time) at Kalevi Sportdhall in Estonia.
Despite their best efforts, the Philippine national basketball team couldn’t overcome the determined world no. 24 squad, leading to their second consecutive defeat in as many days.
Right from the start, it was an uphill battle for Gilas Pilipinas.
They found themselves trailing by a staggering 18 points in the early stages of the game, a daunting deficit to overcome. Gilas showed their resilience, managing to tie the contest at 31 in an exhilarating second quarter.
Unfortunately, Finland swiftly responded with a 20-11 surge, seizing the momentum and maintaining their advantage over the Philippines until the final buzzer. With just 23.3 seconds left on the clock, Miro Little made a crucial lay-up, extending his team’s lead to 87-79.
Finland’s team was a mixture of its Team A and some youth players.
This defeat came hot on the heels of Gilas Pilipinas’ loss against Estonia, with a final score of 81-71 just the day before.
Dwight Ramos emerged as the leading scorer for Gilas Pilipinas, contributing 15 points to the team’s effort.
Justin Brownlee, who had missed a portion of the previous game against Estonia due to cramps, added 11 points while Scottie Thompson chipped in 10 markers.
Gilas Pilipinas once again faced difficulties in their three-point shooting, converting only five of their 14 attempts. In contrast, Finland demonstrated their proficiency from beyond the arc, sinking an impressive 13 three-pointers.
Little, who played six games during the Euro Qualifiers, led the way with 19 points while young gun Jacob Grandison added 18 points and 12 boards.
Finland did not have big guns like Lauri Markkanen, Mikael Jantunen, and Sasu Salin for the game.
The Scores:
Philippines 85 – Ramos 15, Brownlee 11, Thompson 10, Fajardo 10, Perez 8, Abando 8, Ravena T. 8, Aguilar 6, Malonzo 5, Newsome 4, Ravena K. 0, Erram 0.
Finland 89 – Little 19, Grandison 18, Blomgren 10, Tumba 8, Nyman 8, Luukkonen 6, Tainamo 5, Vaara 4, Nikkarinen 4, Mantynen 2, Murphy 2, Tahvanainen 0.
Quarterscores: 11-26, 42-51, 69-69, 85-89.
