Philippines' chances of advancing to the second round of FIBA World Cup 2023 were officially ended on Tuesday night after hot-shooting Italy dealt them a tough 90-83 loss.
The Azzurri, who advanced to the next round along with Dominican Republic from Group A, set a World Cup team record of 17 3-pointers made, besting their previous record of 15 set in 2019, also against Philippines.
Down by 18 early in the fourth, Gilas Pilipinas mounted one last charge, cutting the lead to 88-81 with 1:43 left.
But Jordan Clarkson missed on a drive, and the game slipped away.
Gilas needed to win by at least 12 points to advance to the second round. Instead, it finished bottom of the group with an 0-3 record and will move on to the classification round along with Angola (1-2) where they will likely play China and either Puerto Rico or South Sudan.
A ticket to the Paris Olympics is still in play, but Gilas must sweep its two classification games to boost its chances.
Clarkson again led Gilas with 23 points, becoming the 8th player in the tournament's history to score at least 20 in his first three games.
"Tough game," said Clarkson, who also had 7 rebounds and 6 assists. "But I think we competed. I think we've competed in all three games. We came out here and gave our best efforts, trying to figure out these games and get wins."
Gilas coach Chot Reyes said he was "very proud" of his players' efforts. "What a way to fight coming off those two painful losses and to still show up tonight and giving it their all against a top 10 team in the world. We couldn't ask for more. We just came up short. But we continue to fight. That's all we can hope for."
Italy finally find their range
Heading into this game, Italy had made just 12 total 3-pointers combined and were shooting only 20% from beyond the arc. Against Gilas, they shot 41% as their crisp perimeter ball movement had the defense scrambling to cover.
"Finally," said guard Marco Spissu, who buried four triples. "A win is a win, especially the win that permits you to go into the second round. We played well. We just did what we needed to do. We shared the ball in offense, helped each other in defense. That was the key. We showed we can really beat everybody and we need to keep going in this direction."
Italy will now train their sights on Group B topnotchers Serbia and likely runners-up Puerto Rico in the second round.
Those boos again
Even before the World Cup got underway, Reyes was not exactly Mr. Popular among Filipino basketball fans. Last Friday, he was booed at the Philippine Arena even before the end of the first quarter. The vitriol has only gotten worse with the losses, but his players are sticking with him.
"I'm really not around the situation to figure out what it's for," Clarkson said. "But I guess it's a little weird, especially us hosting and us being the home country. I don't really know much about the situation but it does feel a little weird and kind of out of the ordinary."
Rhenz Abando, who had his best game of the World Cup with 8 points in 14 minutes off the bench, appealed to fans to tone it down. "This isn't the right time to blame anyone," he said in Tagalog. "(Reyes) is fighting for our country, so you should still support him."
At this point, only a miracle run to the Olympics might turn the tide for the embattled Reyes.
On to the classification stage
And speaking of the Olympics, Gilas are still in the mix for the lone Asian slot. Japan is the only country that has won a game so far from the region, while the others have worse point differentials than the Philippines. Gilas will likely face South Sudan and China in the classification round, with both teams providing unique challenges.
"These two teams are good," Clarkson said about their next opponents. "They've been put together with size and everything.
"We're ready to compete and fight. We're super motivated. ... Basketball is a game of missed shots and ups and downs. We haven't really felt like we've been out of any games. We're going to put it together and try to get these two. We know what it means and we know what it means for the country."