August 30, 2023
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas turned in its most cohesive outing in the 2023 Fiba World Cup on Tuesday night, but it was not enough against an Italy side that rediscovered its lethal touch.
The host Philippines bowed to the sweet-shooting Italians, 90-83, to end up winless in Group A play of the global showcase at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Jordan Clarkson had 23 points, cornerstone Dwight Ramos 14, while four more players finished with eight each in the losing stand relegated the Gilas Pilipinas to the crossover classification round.
The Philippines will next play the bottom two teams from Group B which could either be South Sudan or regional powerhouse China.
The only consolation–for now–is that Japan, which upset Finland last Sunday, lost to Australia, 109-89, in Okinawa and will also slide into the classification round, keeping the race among Asian teams vying for a Paris berth alive.
Simone Fontecchio led the way for the Italians with 18 points, Giampaolo Ricci chipped in 14 while Marco Spissu and Stefano Tonut 13 each, flexing their outside shooting.
The Azzurri hit 17 of their 41 triples (41 percent), a timely comeback for the World No. 10 squad who have been frosty from beyond the arc in their first two games (20 percent).
Gilas, meanwhile, was only able to convert 10 of their 29 shots from deep.