Gilas Pilipinas fell to the Dominican Republic in their first game of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The cheers of the record-breaking crowd of 38,115 fans on the opening day of the 2023 FIBA World Cup turned into a collective heartbreak as Gilas Pilipinas dropped its first assignment to the Dominicans with a final score of 87-81.
It was a hard-fought heavyweight match, one that saw both squads take the other’s best punch with neither refusing to go down until the final moments.
Things started to go wrong for the home team when Jordan Clarkson had to exit the game after picking up his fifth foul in the middle of the fourth.
With no clear go-to offensive option fielded down the stretch, the home team coughed up the all-important first game from this Group A action.
It was still a treat for Filipino basketball fans as the stars showed out too! Jordan Clarkson put together an impressive 28 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists for Gilas Pilipinas, matched by Karl Anthony Towns’ ___ for the Dominicans.
The reliables from each team also made their presence felt as Victor Liz put up while June Mar Fajardo.
The nail in the coffin was delivered by Karl Anthony Towns from the stripe as Scottie Thompson was whistled for a technical foul before the ball was even in play.
This means that Gilas needs to pull off wins against Italy and Anglola if they hope to advance to the knockout stages.
Images courtesy of FIBA.
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