Gilas Pilipinas reached the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament semifinals despite losing to Georgia.
In Gilas Pilipinas' third-straight FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), they find themselves in unfamiliar territory--the semifinals.
They were able to reach the final four even after losing to Georgia due to the point differential. Here's a few takeaways from that game, by the numbers.
[ALSO READ: FIBA OQT: Gilas succumbs to Georgia by just 2 points, advances to semis]
Down by 20 but not out
Georgia had a magic number to reach--19. Win the game by 19 or more and they advance to the semifinals.
And they were very much riding that hunger and desperation, going 16-0 right off the bat. The Filipinos ironically found themselves on the opposite end of a scoring run, eating what they had dished to Latvia hours before.
By the middle of the second quarter, the lead was at 20 points.
Pinoy 2-3 zone
When Gilas Pilipinas found themselves shredded by an energized Tornike Shengelia and the hot-shooting Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Filipinos relied on what the defense they have been used to since kids.
The 2-3 zone.
Basic! Larong kalye at the international stage! At least according to Filipino fans online.
It worked, by the way. Georgia's offense was so disrupted that Gilas managed to erase the 20-point deficit, and with it, the Europeans' hopes of reaching the semis.
It's raining in Latvia, 'di ka ba nilalamig?
Gilas Pilipinas looked completely different in the second half and made it rain from the three-point range. They shot 13 of 23 or an impressive 56.5% from beyond the arc overall.
Heart and hustle
They never gave up. They had less than 24 hours to rest. They were down by 20. But the smaller Filipinos (who lost Kai Sotto early in the game) nabbed 30 defensive rebounds compared to the Georgians' 18.
Gilas also got 27 solid points off the bench from Calvin Oftana, Japeth Aguilar, Carl Tamayo, and CJ Perez--who went for a perfect six-of-six.
Bawing-bawi after his errors in the game vs Latvia.
Gilas Pilipinas will take on Brazil in the semifinals on Saturday, July 6, at 8:30 p.m. This will be aired LIVE on One Sports, PBA Rush, RPTV, and Pilipinas Live.
[ALSO READ: FIBA OQT: Gilas Pilipinas schedule, where to watch, and all else you need to know]