Philippines reach semi-finals of FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament despite 94-96 Georgia defeat

By Nischal Schwager-Patel

The Philippines’ men’s basketball team are into the semi-finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) Latvia, despite a 94-96 defeat to Georgia on Thursday (4 July).

They qualify for the final four because of a better points difference than Georgia, who bow out of the competition despite the win.

Philippines join already qualified hosts Latvia in the semi-finals, as the two qualifiers from Group A.

With Kai Sotto forced off injured at half-time in Riga, Justin Brownlee stepped up for the Gilas Filipinas and was the match’s top scorer with 28 points and eight rebounds. Georgia’s Alexander Mamukelashvili was not far behind with an outstanding individual display, scoring 26 points with three steals.

It was all Georgia in the opening quarter, perhaps benefitting from an extra day of rest as they stormed into a 16-0 lead led by the dunking Goga Bitadze. Knowing that they needed a 19+ point win to progress, they were not easing up and dominated until midway through the second quarter of the decisive match.

The Philippines finally sprang into action and started chipping away at the Georgian’s lead, but had cause for concern when star man Sotto had a nasty fall and Bitadze landed on top of him. Nonetheless, a 26-27 scoreline in the second quarter brought the Gilas Filipinas back into it going into the break.

In the third quarter, the momentum shifted and a resurgent Philippines burst into action, as Carl Tamayo’s fadeaway jump shot levelled it up in the Latvian capital.

The lead bounced back and forth, leaving the match all square going into the final quarter. Though Georgia fought hard until the end and won on the day, the Philippines kept the deficit low enough to progress to the final four.

“We have a good group of guys, a mixture of veterans and young guys,” Philippines Shooting Guard Chris Newsome told Olympics.com after the game, “so it’s finding that chemistry together and finding that balance of experience and youth. I think we have the right coaching staff for that, they have the right mentality.

“It’s really on us, especially the veterans to pull each other together and guide everyone through the situation that we’re in. I’m very proud of what we have done this organization and for our national team, and it says a lot about the future that we have.”

The Philippines will play one of Montenegro, Brazil, or Cameroon in the semi-finals, with Cameroon and Brazil going head-to-head on Thursday evening in Riga.

The Gilas Filipinas are one step closer to Paris 2024 and a historic return to the Olympic Games for the first time in 52 years.