MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas’ near decade-long wait for its first FIBA World Cup win is over.
Jordan Clarkson saved the best for last as the Philippines avoided another winless FIBA World Cup run, salvaging its rather forgettable campaign with a 96-75 win over China at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, September 2.
Clarkson erupted for 24 of his 34 points in a phenomenal third quarter to propel the Philippines to its first World Cup win since the 2014 edition when it beat Senegal in overtime.
Team Dragon held on to a slim 48-46 lead midway through the fourth quarter before Clarkson took over and starred in a sizzling 27-3 run to end the period that firmly put the Filipinos in the front seat, 73-51.
A man on a mission against the team that denied him a win in his debut for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2018 Asian Games, the Utah Jazz standout capped the stretch with four straight three-pointers that took the fight out of China.
Clarkson shot 5-of-10 from long distance and 11-of-18 overall for arguably his finest World Cup performance.
The win marked the first time the Filipinos won a World Cup game at home after the country lost all eight games of its hosting in 1978.
It also prevented the Philippines from becoming the first World Cup host to go winless since Colombia went 0-6 in 1982.
Rhenz Abando shared the spotlight with Clarkson as he churned out 14 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, while Kai Sotto delivered 12 points and 6 rebounds.
The Scores
Philippines 96 – Clarkson 34, Abando 14, Sotto 12, Ramos 11, Fajardo 9, Pogoy 7, Edu 5, Thompson 4, Ravena 0, Aguilar 0.
China 75 – Li 17, Zhang 13, M. Hu 12, R. Zhao 12, J. Hu 10, Zhu 5, Cui 2, Fu 2, Zhou 2, J. Zhao 0.
Quarters: 16-16, 39-40, 73-51, 96-75.
