Gilas falls to New Zealand, gets eliminated in front of home crowd

MANILA, Philippines – And just like that, the dream for Rio has come to an end.

The Philippine men’s national basketball team was officially eliminated from the FIBA Manila Olympic Qualifying Tournament after falling to New Zealand, 89-80, on Wednesday, July 6, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

It was the second consecutive defeat in as many days for the Philippine team, which lost to France on Tuesday and finishes the tournament it hosted with a 0-2 record.

New Zealand will face the French national team on Thursday to determine their standing heading into the semifials, but both nations have already advanced.

Andray Blatche led the national team with 30 points and 7 rebounds while Jayson Castro scored 13 points on 13 shots. 

New Zealand, which established its lead in the second quarter and didn’t look back the rest of the way, was led by the 25 points of Tai Webster. His brother, Corey, also dominated with 23 points. Isaac Fotu pitched in 17 points. – Rappler.com