FIBA Opener: Gilas Pilipinas' Brave Stand Falls Short, Succumbs to Dominican Republic, 87-81

by Raymund Tamayo

Photo credit: FIBA | fiba.basketball

It is August and National Heroes Month in the Philippines. That's why it is no surprise, even though they fell short, how Gilas Pilipinas made a brave stand against one of the NBA's best big men Karl-Anthony Towns, and his Dominican Republic squad.

Towns paced the 23rd world-ranked basketball team to a close 87-81 win over fellow NBA-veteran and Utah Jazz shooting guard Jordan Clarkson and his 40th world-ranked Team Philippines during the 2023 FIBA World Cup opening day at the Philippine Arena on August 25. 

Currently playing for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns notched a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. The 7-0 center-forward actually had a hard time against the defense of Gilas center AJ Edu, as he only shot 5-of-16 from the floor but made 15-of-16 from the foul line.

Karl-Anthony Towns on the win against the Philippines and being guarded by AJ Edu: "Filipinos are a culture that never give up" #FIBAWC @spinph pic.twitter.com/B6krqpiAG2

— Reuben Terrado (@reubensports) August 25, 2023

“He’s a fantastic player, he’s an ultra competitor. I love the competition he brought tonight, it makes me better,” Towns said, referring to Edu. “You know, Filipinos are a culture that doesn’t give up and they played hard, as I expect. The culture is nothing but a hard-working people.”

The 6-foot-10 Edu had an incredible night as well, finishing with seven points, five rebounds, and two blocks in 27 minutes as the primary defender against Towns. But Gilas came short with several turnovers and missed opportunities down the stretch.

Clarkson led Gilas with 28 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, but fouled out in the final 3:32 of the game in front of a FIBA-record crowd of 38,115 fans. Many-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo also had a great game with 16 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting with seven boards.

“I really love the fight of our players. They competed. Competed hard. Unfortunately, the disqualification of Jordan, is really a big blow for us,” said Gilas head coach Chot Reyes.

“Without our guy, their guy went to work. Just kept going to the basket, and kept getting foul after foul after foul. We gave them 34 free throws and that’s just too much for us,” Reyes said.

Gilas' next opponent will be 41st-ranked Angola, which lost to World No. 10 Italy, 81-67, during the first game of the evening. It is scheduled this Sunday, 8 pm, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

The scores:

Dominican Republic (87) - Towns 26, Liz 18, Feliz 12, Montero 6, Delgado 6, Peña 5, Vargas 5, Figueroa 5, Mendoza 2, Quiñones 2, Solano 0, Suero DNP.

Philippines (81) - Clarkson 28, Fajardo 16, Ramos 13, Edu 7, Pogoy 6, Thompson 5, Ravena 2, Abando 2, Aguilar 2, Sotto 0, Malonzo 0, Perez DNP.