Thirdy Ravena showed tremendous growth in his game during the two games he played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers’ Quezon City window.
Along with Dwight Ramos, the two were the undisputed leaders of this batch of Gilas Pilipinas.
Ramos put up numbers of 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks against India and New Zealand. For his part, Ravena led the team in scoring with 19.0 points along with 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 steals per game.
But all the high experience by Ravena and Gilas from their blowout win versus India last Friday was all sucked out after their 63-88 loss to New Zealand.
And even the 25-year-old winger who plays for San-En admitted it.
(C) Paul Ryan Tan/FIBA Asia
“It’s hard to be happy right now at this moment kasi nga talo kami. It doesn’t mean anything if you score 40 points and lose the game.
“I feel like we could’ve beat this team but that’s the frustrating part about it,” he expressed. “We were able to fight pero ‘yun nga nakakapanghinayang lang at the end of the day. It’s always a lesson, always a blessing to be able to have this opportunity to represent the country and fight against great teams.
“Tonight we fought, very proud of that so everything’s a lesson, especially after the game when we watched the replay and see all of our mistakes. It’s definitely going to be a learning lesson for all of us.”
If one is to nitpick a flaw in Ravena’s game against the Tall Blacks, it was his free throw shooting.
Ravena went just 3-of-10 from the charity stripe in the contest with the most crucial misses coming in the third canto.
With New Zealand up 51-39 with 5:46 left, Ravena was able to fish a foul against Ethan Rusbatch while he was attempting a triple.
Ravena though missed all three of his attempts that led to a Taane Samuel trey seconds later. Samuel’s trey triggered an 11-6 assault for the Tall Blacks that blew the game wide open.
“I guess it’s just one of those days.
“Personally, I still need to work on my free throws a lot more,” shared Ravena. “Free throws can cause a game; it might not be as seen in this particular game but it can definitely cause in the future. It’s one point and one point can make a whole difference in a basketball game.”
But it’s not just Ravena who missed free throws in the contest.
All in all, Gilas went just 10-of-23 from the charity stripe with Ramos missing four, while Angelo Kouame and Kelly Williams missed one each.
“Definitely, we need to work on the free throws, especially we were able to get a lot of opportunities to get on the line so we don’t waste those opportunities and we make the most out of every single one,” continued Ravena.
“It’s a lesson for me, I got to make some free throws and work on it a whole lot more.”
With reports from Jeremy Chua
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All Group A games of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers will stream live on GigaPlay. Download it now on Android or IOS.
