"It was a great fight!"

This was the message of President Marcos to the Philippines' Gilas Pilipinas after the team yielded to Brazil in the semifinals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament in Latvia on Saturday, July 6.

In an X post late Saturday, the President said Filipinos are proud of the Philippine basketball team for making history.

"It was a great fight, Gilas Pilipinas! You have made us Filipinos proud and made history!" he wrote.

"We will always stand behind you in support. Bida ang bayaning manlalaro!" he added.

Gilas Pilipinas fell to Brazil, 71-60, ending the team's dream of joining the Paris Olympics, which could have been the first time for the Philippines in 52 years.

The team was leading in the first half at 33-27 but Brazil's boosted defense spelled a nightmare for the Gilas boys who mustered only six points while Brazil scored 24 in the third quarter and kept its two-digit lead until the end.

Despite this, the Philippine team made history after ending a 64-year drought against Europeans when it defeated world No. 6 Latvia in its opening game.