Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee puts on another sensational game to help the secure the Fiba OQT semifinals ticket. –FIBA PHOTO
Gilas Pilipinas overcame a horrendous start before settling for a 96-94 loss at the hands of Georgia and still locking a semifinal spot in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OTQ) in Riga.
Gilas trailed by as many as 20 points before closing the gap on the world No. 23 Georgia, which needed to win by 19 points to eliminate the Philippines and join host Latvia in the crossover knockout phase.
The Philippines will face either Brazil or Cameroon in the next phase, with two wins away from a historic return to the Summer Olympic Games.
HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Georgia Fiba OQT July 4
Justin Brownlee finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Gilas Pilipinas once again at Arena Riga on Thursday.
Dwight Ramos and CJ Perez chipped in 16 and 14 points, respectively, while Chris Newsome had 13 as the Filipinos reaped the benefits of beating World No. 6 Latvia less than 24 hours ago at the same venue.
Filipino fans at Arena Riga cheering for Gilas Pilipinas against Georgia. –FIBA BASKETBALL
The Georgians, anchored by NBA big men Sandro Mamukelashvili and Goga Bitadze, looked on track for a semifinal berth thanks to a blistering 14-0 start built on pinpoint shooting.
READ: Gilas win over Latvia puts spotlight on Tim Cone’s triangle offense
They pushed the lead to as big as 40-20 in the second quarter before Brownlee and June Mar Fajardo, who finished with six points and six rebounds, kept the Nationals within striking distance before halftime.
Georgia fumbled its chance to take full control in the third period when it had no answer against cutthroat fightback led by Perez and youngster Carl Tamayo, who chipped in seven in the surge including the three that tied the game at 70.
Already down to 11 men before flying to Riga, the Philippines managed to do well despite not having center Kai Sotto for most of the game after he hurt his right rib in the first half.
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Georgia found itself in a bind with the Philippines, needing to beat Gilas by a certain margin following an 83-55 beatdown at the hands of Latvia two days ago.