FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024: Philippines Advances to Semifinals Despite Loss to Georgia

Despite a narrow 96-94 defeat to Georgia, the Philippines men's basketball team has qualified for the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia. The Filipinos finished second in Group A with a 1-1 record, joining top seed Latvia in the final four.

Strong Individual Performances

Justin Brownlee once again led the way for the Philippines, scoring a game-high 28 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Dwight Ramos contributed 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, while CJ Perez shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field for 14 points. Chris Newsome added 13 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Overcoming Early Deficit

The Philippines faced an early 20-point deficit but fought back to make it a close game throughout. Georgia, needing a 19+ point win to progress, led 28-17 after the first quarter but the Gilas Filipinas chipped away at the lead, trailing 55-43 at halftime.

Tough Matchup with NBA Players

Georgia's Sandro Mamukelashvili of the San Antonio Spurs and Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic led the way for their team, scoring 26 and 21 points respectively. The Philippines defense had trouble containing the NBA duo.

Looking Ahead to Semifinals

The Philippines will face Brazil in the semifinals. Despite the loss, the Gilas Filipinos are one step closer to a historic return to the Olympic Games for the first time in 52 years.

The Bad Tackle

The second half brought exciting basketball everyone enjoyed. It was cat and mouse all the way. In the end, Georgia won the game, but had to pack their bags.