Gilas loses to South Sudan, jeopardizing Olympic hopes

Gilas Pilipinas lost to South Sudan, 87-68, in their FIBA World Cup classification game on Thursday night, jeopardizing their chances of an outright Olympic qualification.

South Sudan built a commanding early lead and held off Gilas' late rally despite the latter's efforts led by Jordan Clarkson (24 points) and Dwight Ramos (20 points, 12 rebounds).

Coach Chot Reyes took full responsibility for the team's performance, acknowledging that they failed to execute when it mattered most.

South Sudan's Nuni Omot praised Gilas' resilience despite being down by as much as 21 points early in the game.