For the first time in 64 years, the Philippines secured a landmark victory against a European team in men’s basketball.
In a stunning upset early Thursday morning, Gilas Pilipinas triumphed over host Latvia with a score of 89-80 in Group A of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Riga, Latvia.
Expressing his astonishment at the victory, Philippine team coach Tim Cone credited the team’s sharp performance, while Latvia coach Luca Banchi acknowledged his squad’s failure to match the Filipinos’ intensity throughout the game.
“I believe it was an excellent performance from the very beginning. They were very sharp, they imposed not only their physicality, but also their sharpness to find a solution on offense,” Banchi remarked during the post-game interview. “Our opponent played a very good game, very solid.”
Naturalized Filipino player Justine Brownlee led Gilas Pilipinas with impressive all-around stats of 26 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, contributing significantly to the Philippines’ upset victory over the world’s 6th-ranked team.
Compounding Latvia’s challenges was the absence of guard Arthurs Zagars, who sustained an injury during their previous game against Georgia.
“We didn’t execute our offense and didn’t do our job in defense, that was the initial focus. We let them play their game and they were responding,” said Latvian forward Rodions Kurucs, reflecting on their performance.
Despite Latvia’s efforts to rally late in the game, Gilas Pilipinas maintained their momentum and capitalized on Latvia’s missed opportunities.