MANILA, Philippines – For the second straight year, Gilas Pilipinas’ esports team endured a heartbreaking end to its eFIBA World Finals campaign.
A podium finish remained elusive as eGilas settled for fourth place anew after a stinging 2-1 loss to Portugal in the battle for third to wrap up Season 3 at the SMX Convention Center in Clark, Pampanga on Thursday, December 12.
The Philippines blew a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three affair as it suffered the same fate as Season 2, where it fell victim to Turkey in the bronze-medal game.
Down 43-48 with under a minute left, the Filipinos got within a single possession off a three-pointer by Isaiah “PHI_Ice2Fast” Alindada but ran out of time.
The Portuguese milked the remaining seconds to escape with the 48-46 win, much to the disappointment of the home crowd.
eGilas drew first blood in the series with a 56-51 lead led by Clark “PHI_ZavaLCB” Banzon (18 points, 8 assists) and Prich “PHI_DonPriich” Diez (10 points, 12 rebounds), but Portugal pulled level with a 57-45 triumph.
Also represented by Kenneth “PHI_Clue” Gutierrez and Julian “PHI_Social” Mallillin and coached by Nite Alparas, eGilas pocketed $4,000 (around P230,000).
Finishing second in Group A, the Philippines failed to reach the finals after running into defending champion and Group B top seed United States in the semifinals.
The Americans stamped their class over the Filipinos, scoring a 67-46 blowout in Game 1 and a 73-60 win in Game 2 to advance.
With no letup, USA completed its unbeaten run with a pair of decisive victories over Turkey in the best-of-three finals, 71-62 and 71-55, to repeat as champions.
USA bagged the lion’s share of the $50,000 prize pool, taking home a $20,000 purse, while Turkey earned $10,000.
Portugal won $6,000 in the eight-team tournament that also featured Saudi Arabia (5th), Algeria (6th), Brazil (7th), and New Zealand (8th). – Rappler.com