Gilas Pilipinas fell short anew and absorbed a 106-102 defeat at the hands of Korea in the 2022 KB Kookmin Bank Invitational Saturday, June 17, at the Anyang Stadium in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
The Filipino cagers fought back in the payoff period and erased an eight-point deficit behind the efforts of RJ Abarrientos, William Navarro, and Dwight Ramos.
Tied at 89-all after a Ramos three-pointer, Ra Gun-ah flexed his way for a solo 5-0 run to rebuild another 94-89 lead with less than five minutes left.
Both squads continued to exchange baskets but the Philippines still trailed by three points, 99-96, after a Ramos conversion.
Rhenz Abando, who showed a glimpse of his fiery form in their first encounter, delivered anew and completed a four-point play off a three-point bank shot to savor a one-point advantage at the 2:37 mark, 100-99.
Heo Ung, who was blocked by Abando in the previous play, exacted revenge against the Letran standout and scored five straight points — a crucial trey and a crossover drive — for the Koreans for another 104-100 advantage.
Ramos pumped life for the Filipino cagers with his last-second attempt and soared for the dunk at the 14.5 mark against Choi Jun-yong to put the game within striking distance.
Kang Sang-jae, however, showed steely nerves and iced the match with a pair of free throws as Gilas Pilipinas is set to return home empty-handed.
Still, the nine-man Philippine squad showed a promising performance despite the absence of Ange Kouame and Dave Ildefonso, and previously LeBron Lopez, who were all nursing respective injuries.