Beaten but unbowed.

Gilas Pilipinas may have lost the most important game against the Dominican Republic but it is in no way disheartened heading into the another crucial clash, this time against Angola in the continuation of the Group A action of the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, Aug. 27.

Gilas will be fighting for its bid to advance to the next round against the equally desperate Angolans in the 8 p.m. encounter but the Nationals seemed to be unfazed by the daunting task ahead.

Of course, not after holding its own against the Dominicans in its first game and definitely not after feeling the support of the 38,115 avid Filipino basketball fans who flocked into the Philippine Arena to reset the almost two-decade FIBA game attendance record.
 

Serving as a fitting appetizer to the big game is the clash between elite teams and opening day winners Italy and the Dominican Republic for the solo top spot in the group.

Ironically even after a loss, the Nationals are brimming with confidence heading into the game against Angola, knowing full well that it can compete against a team that has an NBA All-Star center in Karl-Anthony Towns
 

“I really love the fight of the players. We competed. We competed hard, it’s unfortunate that the disqualification of Jordan (Clarkson) really a big blow for us but we cannot worry about that now we have to focus on the next game. Quick turnaround for us and we have to get ready for Angola,” said Gilas head coach Chot Reyes.

Much of the spotlight was on Clarkson, who flexed his topnotch NBA-level scoring with 28 points before fouling out at the 3:32 mark of the final frame which hastened the downfall for the hosts.

Alongside him was the twin tower combination of AJ Edu and June Mar Fajardo who both proved their worth with solid showing against a tall Dominican frontline led by Towns. 

Fajardo was a force underneath with 16 points, while Edu who added seven points and five rebounds, shone on his tough defensive stand against Towns.

The two big men should also be in the middle of another tough task, this time reducing another NBA player in 6-foot-10 Bruno Fernando of Angola down to size.

That, however, was less of Reyes’ worries as he intends to focus on fine-tuning Gilas’ offense which has been a suspect against the Dominican Republic after committing 19 errors.

“We had 19 turnovers and that was big. We shot the ball well. We shot the ball better than Dominican but they got a lot more attempts than we did so the story was the 19 turnovers and we gave up 17 offensive rebounds and that was it,” Reyes pointed out.

“We have to make sure that we are able to cope with the defensive pressure of Angola,” he added.

Angola, for its part, is also coming off a 81-67 loss against Italy in their opening game but, just like Gilas, was able to hold its ground against the powerhouse Azzurri. 

The Angolans were actually within striking distance after the first three quarters if not for Simone Fontecchio providing the spark for the Italians in the final frame.