The “Korean curse” continues as Gilas suffered another defeat from the South Korean men’s basketball national team in the 2018 Asian Games basketball competition in Jakarta on Monday, August 27.
The Koreans utilized their perimeter shooting, a skill their team is known for, to win the game against Gilas, 91-82.
The Gilas Pilipinas team was narrowly leading South Korea by a point entering the fourth quarter, 65-64, before their opponents began to gain confidence in their outside shooting, which was absent during the first three quarters.
The Gilas team also faltered defensively by giving away steals and turnovers, giving more shooting opportunities for the Koreans. Gilas was outscored by 10 points in the fourth quarter, 27-17.
NBA star Jordan Clarkson’s 25 point output combined with Christian Standhardinger’s 16 points and 9 rebounds were not enough to stop the Korean scoring machines, Heo Ilyoung, Kim Junyl and Jeon Junbeom.
Ricardo Ratliffe, a former PBA import and a naturalized Korean player, led the way for South Korea after delivering a 30-point performance backed with 15 rebounds.
The game was a must-win situation for the Gilas Pilipinas team for them to stay in contention for a medal finish in the tournament.
With the loss, the best finish possible for the Philippines is 5th, better than the 7th place finish of the team in Incheon four years ago.
The Philippine men’s national basketball team has not defeated South Korea over the last five years. Meanwhile in Asian Games, the Philippines has not defeated South Korea since 1962.
South Korea moves on to the semi-finals and will face the winner of the Iran-Japan game. The Philippines, meanwhile, falls to the consolation pool to fight for the fifth place finish.
NOTE: Photo featured in the article was taken by Dita Alangkara for AP.
