HIGHLIGHTS: Philippines vs Georgia – FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024

Gilas Pilipinas stayed in the hunt for a Paris Games berth as it advanced to the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia on Thursday, July 4.

The Philippines reached the knockout stage despite a 96-94 loss to Georgia as it finished second in Group A with a 1-1 record.

Justin Brownlee paced Gilas anew with 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Latvia, which the Philippines stunned in the opener, topped the group even with a similar 1-1 card due to a higher quotient.

🇵🇭 Gilas Pilipinas shot the lights out (13/23 from downtown) to make the last four in Riga! ♨♨♨#FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/OjA8F2y0iv
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 4, 2024

Heart and passion of Gilas Pilipinas seals a Semi-Finals ticket! 🙌🇵🇭#FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/3oP9MlqIrw
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 4, 2024

Fourth quarter

FINAL: Gilas Pilipinas advances to the semifinals despite a 96-94 loss to Georgia
GEORGIA 96-93: Goga Bitadze 2/2 at the line with 14 seconds left
GEORGIA 94-93: Justin Brownlee banks it in
GEORGIA 94-91: Joe Thomasson bucket
GEORGIA 92-91: CJ Perez completes the fast break
GEORGIA 92-89: Sandro Mamukelashvili two-handed dunk
GEORGIA 90-89: CJ Perez back-to-back threes
GEORGIA 90-86: CJ Perez left wide open from deep
GEORGIA 90-83: Goga Bitadze tips it in
GEORGIA 88-83: CJ Perez with another strong drive
GEORGIA 88-81: Duda Sanadze sinks the three-pointer over Dwight Ramos
GEORGIA 85-81: Sandro Mamukelashvili and-one with 6 minutes left
GEORGIA 82-81: Sandro Mamukelashvili capitalizes on the second chance
GILAS PILIPINAS 81-80: CJ Perez lays it in
GEORGIA 80-79: Joe Thomasson scores
GILAS PILIPINAS 79-78: Calvin Oftana splits his charity shots
78-78: Carl Tamayo with another equalizing bucket
GEORGIA 78-76: Japeth Aguilar two-handed flush
GEORGIA 78-74: Duda Sanadze completes the fast break
GEORGIA 76-74: Goga Bitadze 2/2 with his foul shots

Third quarter

END OF 3Q: From 20 points down, Gilas Pilipinas storms back and ties Georgia at 74-74
74-74: Justin Brownlee knots the score as he gets the shooter’s roll on his trey
GEORGIA 74-71: Sandro Mamukelashvili for three
71-71: Tornike Shengelia misses the first but makes the second free throw
GILAS PILIPINAS 71-70: First lead for PH as Dwight Ramos goes 2/2 at the stripe
GEORGIA 70-69: Gilas Pilipinas slices through the Georgia defense for the deuce
GEORGIA 70-67: Duda Sanadze regains the lead for his side with a triple
67-67: Carl Tamayo for three as Gilas Pilipinas ties it up!
GEORGIA 67-64: Gilas Pilipinas within a single possession after that Carl Tamayo shot
GEORGIA 67-62: Dwight Ramos for three off a Justin Brownlee dime
GEORGIA 67-59: Justin Brownlee grabs the offensive rebound and sinks the putback
GEORGIA 67-57: Chris Newsome with another strong finish
GEORGIA 67-55: Rati Andronikashvili from long distance
GEORGIA 64-55: Justin Brownlee flips it in
GEORGIA 64-53: Chris Newsome gets the bounce on his drive
GEORGIA 64-51: Goga Bitadze left open for the corner trey
GEORGIA 61-51: Justin Brownlee tough shot
GEORGIA 61-49: Goga Bitadze two-handed flush
GEORGIA 59-49: Justin Brownlee swishes the three-pointer
GEORGIA 59-46: Tornike Shengelia dunk
GEORGIA 57-46: Sandro Mamukelashvili bucket
GEORGIA 55-46: Dwight Ramos knocks down the trey

Second quarter

HALFTIME: Georgia enters the break with a 55-43 lead, needing to beat Gilas Pilipinas by at least 19 points to advance to the knockout round
GEORGIA 55-43: Duda Sanadze for three
GEORGIA 52-43: June Mar Fajardo ices his freebies
GEORGIA 52-41: Goga Bitadze short stab
GEORGIA 50-41: Tornike Shengelia on fire as he makes the triple
GEORGIA 47-41: Chris Newsome again
GEORGIA 47-39: Tornike Shengelia putback
GEORGIA 45-39: Dwight Ramos with his second three-pointer
GEORGIA 45-36: Tornike Shengelia inside
GEORGIA 43-36: Gilas Pilipinas within 7 points after that Chris Newsome jump shot
GEORGIA 43-34: Justin Brownlee answers with his long bomb from the top of the key
GEORGIA 43-31: Sandro Mamukelashvili drains the corner trey
GEORGIA 40-31: June Mar Fajardo back-to-back buckets
GEORGIA 40-29: June Mar Fajardo tip in off a Justin Brownlee miss
GEORGIA 40-27: Calvin Oftana from long range for his first basket of the tournament
GEORGIA 40-24: Justin Brownlee hits the bank shot
GEORGIA 40-22: Kai Sotto scores, but he endures a bad fall
GEORGIA 40-20: Joe Thomasson for three
GEORGIA 37-29: Chris Newsome 1/2 at the stripe
GEORGIA 37-19: Tornike Shengelia flushes home the one-handed jam
GEORGIA 35-19: Joe Thomasson drains the midrange jumper
GEORGIA 33-19: Tornike Shengelia continues to attack the paint
GEORGIA 31-19: CJ Perez with his first basket
GEORGIA 31-17: Sandro Mamukelashvili opens the second quarter with a triple

First quarter

END OF 1Q: Georgia off to a hot start as it enjoys a 28-17 lead
GEORGIA 28-17: Tornike Shengelia and-one
GEORGIA 25-17: Justin Brownlee pulls Gilas Pilipinas within single digits with a pair of free throws
GEORGIA 25-15: Justin Brownlee switches hands for the lefty layup
GEORGIA 25-13: Sandro Mamukelashvili retaliates with his own triple
GEORGIA 22-13: Dwight Ramos dials from long distance
GEORGIA 22-10: Goga Bitadze answers
GEORGIA 20-10: Kai Sotto scores as Goga Bitadze called for the goaltending
GEORGIA 20-8: Duda Sanadze 2/2 at the line
GEORGIA 18-8: Justin Brownlee sinks the jump shot
GEORGIA 18-6: Sandro Mamukelashvili converts the reverse alley-oop
GEORGIA 16-6: Chris Newsome from deep
GEORGIA 16-3: Justin Brownlee puts Gilas Pilipinas on the board with triple
GEORGIA 16-0: Goga Bitadze with another dunk
GEORGIA 14-0: Sandro Mamukelashvili gets the lucky bounce on his trey
GEORGIA 11-0: Joe Thomasson for three as Gilas Pilipinas remains scoreless
GEORGIA 8-0: Goga Bitadze with his second bucket
GEORGIA 6-0: Rati Andronikashvili strong drive
GEORGIA 4-0: Joe Thomasson jumper is good
GEORGIA 2-0: Goga Bitadze dunk

Starters

GILAS PILIPINAS – Justin Brownlee, Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, June Mar Fajardo, Chris Newsome
GEORGIA – Rati Andronikashvili, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Tornike Shengelia, Joe Thomasson, Goga Bitadze

Preview

Gilas Pilipinas shoots for an unprecedented sweep of Group A and a spot in the final four of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia, as it locks horns with Georgia on Thursday, July 4.

Fresh from a giant upset of world No. 6 Latvia, the 37th-ranked Philippines hopes to replicate the feat against world No. 23 Georgia.

The stunner gave the Philippines its first win over a European country in an official FIBA competition in over six decades.

Another victory will see the Nationals finish as the top seed in Group A and reach the crossover semifinals to face the second seed from Group B, which includes Brazil, Montenegro, and Cameroon.

Justin Brownlee is expected to be a marked man after he torched the Latvians to the tune of 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.

So he needs all the help he can get from the rest of the team, with Kai Sotto, June Mar Fajardo, Dwight Ramos, and Chris Newsome looking to reprise their roles as they all scored in twin digits to give Brownlee ample support.

The Georgians, meanwhile, bank on their formidable frontline featuring NBA players Sandro Mamukelashvili of the San Antonio Spurs and Goga Bitadze of the Orlando Magic.

Mamukelashvili paced Georgia in its 83-55 loss to Latvia with 14 points and 4 rebounds, while Bitadze supplied 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

With a win, the Philippines will advance along with Latvia in the knockout stage.

A Gilas defeat will result in a three-way tie in Group A, but the Philippines can still advance if it loses no more than 18 points against Georgia.

Game time is 8:30 pm (Manila time). – Rappler.com