
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin gave no excuses with the way his team’s campaign in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament ended with a 94-67 loss to the Dominican Republic in Belgrade, Serbia.
“No excuses,” Baldwin said in the post-game press conference. “Not much to say other than we were outplayed, outcoached and outgunned.”
The Filipino cagers couldn’t sustain an eight-point second quarter lead as turnovers and a cold second half shooting allowed the Dominican Republic to turn a tight game into a lopsided result by the time the final buzzer sounded.
Baldwin also alluded in a quick interview before the start of the third quarter of the need to play better defense with a 41-39 lead “or we’re not gonna win this game.”
Gilas also had a difficult time adjusting to the athleticism and physicality of the Caribbean nation which earned the right to face Group B winner Italy in the Belgrade OQT semifinals.
“I don’t think the first half was indicative of really what the Dominican Republic is all about. We know they are a tough, talented basketball team,” said Baldwin.
“In the second half, they came out very physical, they came out to make a statement against us and they certainly did. But we didn’t stand up to the pressure, we didn’t execute what we can execute, what we should execute under the pressure and it was very disappointing, the second half for us.”
The loss served as a reality check of sorts for Gilas, which received plaudits for the past few weeks for the way it performed in sweeping the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and pushing host Serbia to the limit in its opening assignment in the OQT.
“We've got some, maybe some results that have flattered us a little bit over the last couple of weeks, and some performances that may have flattered us as well. But certainly tonight was a lesson, and what we don't want to be. And I think that we aren't what we were tonight,” said Baldwin.
“I think this was just one of those days that you want to forget that we're just not allowed to have those when you play international basketball. We have to really look inside of ourselves, and understand that sometimes there can be an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.
“And tonight, it was the devil that ruled our performance and we have to be better than that. We can't allow that to happen,” he added.