What was expected to be a dream celebration in front of a wild, sold out crowd turned into a nightmare.

Gilas Pilipinas’ furious rally ended in vain after it absorbed a heartbreaking 80-70 defeat at the hands of Angola to remain winless in Group A of the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday night, Aug. 27.

Gerson Domingos delivered the crushing blows to the hard-fighting Filipinos and their legion of 12,784 fans after drilling a booming right corner trey with 47.5 seconds left, slamming the door on the desperate Gilas’ rally in the waning minutes.

Down by as many as 16 points, 57-73, midway through the final frame and seemingly already waving the white flag, the trio of Jordan Clarkson, Rhenz Abando and Kai Sotto suddenly sparked a spirited Gilas comeback attempt which put them within five points, 68-73.

Needing one big stop, Gilas over helped on NBA big man Bruno Fernando who then found a wide-open Domingos deep in the corner. The 5-foot-10 guard then showed steely nerves, draining the triple that silenced the rowdy crowd.

Gerson Goncalves and Domingos led the way for Angola with 17 and 15 points, respectively, while combining for seven triples. Fernando, for his part, chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds.

As usual, Clarkson paced Gilas once again with 21 points and seven assists. The Utah Jazz guard, however, seemed to be a one-man army with no other Gilas player scoring in double figures.

AJ Edu helped with nine points and six rebounds while Sotto, RR Pogoy and Dwight Ramos finished with eight points apiece in a losing effort.

With the win, Angola now tied Italy with a 1-1 record while Gilas was left at the bottom of the Group A standings with a 0-2 slate. 

However, all is not lost for Gilas as a victory against Italy, as well as a win for Domincan Republic against Angola on Tuesday, Aug. 29, could force a triple tie for the second spot with three teams ending up with 1-2 records.

In the opening game, Dominican Republic pulled the rug from under world No. 10 Italy, 87-82.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Andres Feliz provided a one-two punch, both finishing with 24 points each as the Dominican seized the top spot in Group A.

Over at the Group B action, Montenegro asserted its might over Egypt, 89-75, to remain unbeaten through two games.

NBA big man Nikola Vucevic showed the way for the Black Mountains with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Over at the Okinawa Arena, Dennis Schroder outdueled Patty Mills as Germany edged Australia, 85-82.

Schroder exploded for 30 big points as the Germans also took a 2-0 record in the Group E standings.