Gilas Pilipinas went to Japan gunning for gold. They could leave without as much as making it to the knockout stage.
That’s the dire predicament that could await the Philippines after it opened its Asian Games title defense with an 89-85 loss to Bahrain on Friday at the Aichi International Arena.
Bahrain, reinforced by a quartet of naturalized players, stormed out of the gates, taking an early 11-7 lead before running away with a 29-21 advantage to end the opening frame. Gilas then fought back gamely in the second quarter, with late addition Calvin Oftana firing 12 points on a couple of treys, a pull-up at the elbow, a strong drive, and a leaner on the left baseline.
Led by Oftana, the all-Pinoy Philippine squad even took a brief two-point lead at 43-41 before the Bahrainis finished the half strong on an 8-0 blitz to take a 49-43 advantage into intermission.
Bahrain Pulls Away, Gilas Pilipinas Fightback Falls Short
Coming off back-to-back treys to end the first half, Bahrain came out white hot in the third, outscoring the Philippines 15-5 in the first six minutes to take its biggest lead of the game, 64-48. The Middle Eastern squad ended the third ahead, 76-61, as it imposed its will on the all-Pinoy Gilas.
Still down 87-73 at the tail end of regulation, Gilas made one last push, but the rally came just a bit too short. Don Trollano’s triple with 11.2 seconds left pushed the Philippines to within four, 89-85, but by that time it was too late for the Filipinos to seriously threaten.
Naturalized Players Make a Difference
As expected, Bahrain’s reinforcements made the difference, with Jakarr Sampson dominating with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Elijah Wood tallying 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. Mustafa Rashed, a homegrown talent, added 20 points on four treys—all in the first half.
Calvin Oftana led Gilas Pilipinas with a game-high 31 points—the most points scored by a Gilas Pilipinas player since Justin Brownlee fired 37 against New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. Adrian Nocum, as promised, brought his “banat lang” mindset and added 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists but injured his ankle in the fourth. Justine Baltazar chipped in 10 points and 6 boards, while Don Trollano had 9 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists.
Gilas Pilipinas next takes on Kazakhstan in a must-win game later tonight in the same venue.
