Gilas Pilipinas just couldn’t find an extra gear to its spirited comeback, ultimately falling short against Estonia, 81-71, in its first tuneup game in preparation for the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Kalev Sports Hall in Tallinn early Wednesday morning, June 28 (Manila time). 

The Nationals showed great character in their first competitive game since the start of their World Cup buildup, battling back from a huge 22-point deficit in the first half before losing steam in the waning minutes that allowed the hosts to come away with a hard-earned win.

Dwight Ramos showed the way for Gilas with 16 points while Thirdy Ravena and Justin Brownlee added nine and eight, respectively, for the Filipinos who played without Scottie Thompson (back) and AJ Edu (ankle).

Carlos Jurgens proved to be the biggest thorn to the side of Gilas with 20 points while Mkk Jurkatamm and Markus Ilver added 14 and 10.

Gilas had to shake off some jitters in the opening frame when Estonia easily erected a 29-14 lead and even extended it further to its highest at 22, 41-19, early in the second quarter.

The Filipinos, however, finally came alive with a 16-8 finishing kick that cut the deficit into a manageable 14-point disadvantage at the break.

The Nationals continued with their onslaught as they finally came within single digits, 50-43, after an 8-1 start in the third frame spearheaded by Brownlee.

Gilas went on and even came within three twice – the last one at 63-66 after two June Mar Fajardo free throws early in the final period. The Nationals had numerous chances to inch close and even tie the ball game but just couldn’t break the three-point barrier Estonia had put up.

A pivotal 5-0 spurt from Estonia then proved to be the dagger to the hearts of the Filipinos as Gilas couldn’t pull any closer in the end game.