By Jelly Musico | Philippine News Agency
Gilas Pilipinas stunned the partisan crowd as the Filipinos scored a huge upset against world no. 6 and host Latvia, 89-80, in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments 2024 in Riga, Latvia early Thursday (Manila time).
The Filipinos, ranked 37th in the world, started the game with a sizzling 8-0 run, leading by as much as 18 points in the second period due to the efforts of Justin Brownlee, Kai Sotto, and June Mar Fajardo.
The host team fought back in the fourth quarter to reduce a 21-point lead, 71-56, to just 10 points but Brownlee completed a crucial four-point play that gave Gilas an 85-71 lead with only 3:29 left.
Having won the Asian Games gold in 2023 after 62 years, Gilas Pilipinas, under head coach Tim Cone, made history again as the Philippines snatched their first win against a European team in 64 years.
According to the FIBA website article, the last time the Philippines won against a team from Europe was during the 1960 Olympic Games against Spain, winning 84-82.
Brownlee led the Philippines with a nearly triple-double performance of 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists; while Sotto drilled 18 points and Dwight Ramos added 12 markers.
Gilas Pilipinas’ next game is against Georgia which absorbed a 55-83 loss from Latvia on Tuesday.