Gilas stuns World No. 6 and home team Latvia for rousing Olympic qualifier opener

(Updated, 2:39 a.m.) MANILA, Philippines -- What a massive upset for Gilas Pilipinas.

The Philippines held on just enough to stun World No. 6 Latvia, 89-80, to kick off their Paris Olympics dream in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia Thursday morning (Manila time).

In front of a highly partisan crowd, the Nationals started hot and did not yield the lead the rest of the way to score the huge win.

Justin Brownlee led all scorers with 26 points to go with nine rebounds and nine assists.

Kai Sotto had a big performance with 18 points, eight rebounds and an assist on 7-of-10 shooting.

With the Philippines leading by 21 points, 77-56, at the end of the third quarter, Latvia unleashed a 13-2 run to start the final frame, cutting the lead to just 10, 79-69.

A Brownlee midrange jumper halted the run, but Roland Smits answered with a shot of his own.

Brownlee, though, saved the day once again, hitting a 3-pointer plus the foul to push the lead to 14 anew, 85-71 with 3:29 remaining.

Rodions Kurucs, Smits and Rihards Lomazs would not surrender, scoring in back-to-back-to-back possessions as Latvia inched closer, 77-85.

Chris Newsome was then fouled with 1:21 left, and the newly crowned PBA Philippine Cup champion and Finals Most Valuable Player sank both freebies calmly.

On the other end, Lomazs missed a layup, but Newsome’s turnover gave Latvia the ball back with a minute and three seconds to go.

Strelnieks, though, missed a layup of his own. Dwight Ramos was then fouled in the next possession, and his free throws kept Latvia at bay, 89-77, with 47 ticks left.

Davis Bertans answered with a 3-pointer with 38 seconds remaining to tow the game to a single digit lead, 80-89. Gilas, however, clamped down on defense the rest of the way to secure the victory.

The Philippines started the game on fire, taking an 8-0 lead early. After the Latvians found their rhythm, Gilas just poured in from offense, turning a 21-16 lead to a 32-16 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

It was enough separation as the lead ballooned to 26 points, 74-48, in the third frame.

Ramos, June Mar Fajardo and Chris Newsome also finished in double digits for the Philippines with 12, 11 and 10 markers, respectively.

Kurucs paced Latvia with 18 markers and seven boards.

According to FIBA, this is the first win of the Philippines against a European team in 64 years. The last was against Spain during the 1960 Olympics in Rome. 

The win strengthened the Philippines’ bid to enter the next round of the qualifiers.

The Nationals will be facing World No. 23 Georgia next on Thursday, 8:30 p.m. (Manila time). A win against Georgia or a loss by less than 18 points will punch Gilas' ticket to the semifinals. 

LATVIA - Group A

???????? Latvia have qualified for the #FIBAOQT semi-finals
???????? The Philippines will qualify if they beat Georgia OR if they lose by 18 or less
???????? Georgia will qualify only if they beat the Philippines by 19 or more points

— FIBA (@FIBA) July 3, 2024