Franco Nube 
Brazil rips out Gilas’ Puso as they ended the Philippines’ stint in the semi-finals of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (71-60), at Riga, Latvia.
The world-ranked number 12 Brazil outclassed rank 36 underdogs, Gilas Pilipinas to proceed to the finals of the FIBA tournament for a chance to represent their country in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Two key players determined Brazil’s triumph over Gilas, Bruno Cabocolo who tallied 22 points and 11 boards, as well as Maurcelinho Huertas who bombarded Gilas with crucial jumpers during the last quarter.
Justin Brownlee led Gilas with 15 buckets, 8 rebounds and 2 dimes. The absence of the 7’3” big-man Kai Sotto made the paint a tougher territory to control for June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar.
A 12-point lead by the end of the third quarter proved too hard to overcome, as the efforts of Gilas only managed to cut it down to 11 by the end of the battle.
This Gilas loss concludes their FIBA OQT stint, bidding their farewell to the 2024 Paris Olympic ticket, and delivering a bitter end for Gilas fans all over the world.
Obstacles faced Gilas prior reaching the semis, as they triumphed over the powerhouse Latvia, and narrowly lost to Georgia by two-points, eventually earning them a spot in the semis.
Gilas soared above expectations as they managed to reach the semi-finals as underdogs in a bracket filled with higher world-ranked teams such as Rank 6 Latvia, Rank 23 Georgia and Rank 12 Brazil.
