Almost! Gilas falls just short against Croatia in overtime

(UPDATED) In a game that will go down in history as one of the best ever played in Philippine basketball history, Gilas Pilipinas lost 81-78 in overtime to Croatia to open the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Gilas scratched and clawed and fought and fought some more but their efforts fell short against a Croatian squad that was five inches taller than them on average.

With 2:03 left in overtime, Andray Blatche gave the Philippines a 75-73 lead after two free throws. Croatia quickly tied the ball game with an inside two and grabbed the lead 77-75 after two free throws from Bojan Bogdanovic with 41.7 seconds left in the game. The sweet shooter added two more free throws after Ranidel De Ocampo missed a three.

Staring at a four-point deficit, 79-75, Blatche nailed a long triple with 7.8 seconds left to give the Philippines a fighting chance. They fouled Damjan Rudez, who made both free throws for a 81-78 Croatia lead, time down to 6.8 ticks.

Gilas still had a chance to force a second overtime and Jayson Castro quickly went to work. He hastily put up a three after he felt Oliver Lafayette reach it but the referee refused to call a foul.

The Gilas Pilipinas bench exploded as they raised their hand asking for a foul but there was nothing they could do.

Slow start

After starting out flat in the first quarter, Gilas finally got into its groove in the second quarter.

Marc Pingris scored two baskets down low against towering defenders to cut Croatia’s lead down to 13 points at 26-13. June Mar Fajardo then added a lefty layup off a pretty assist from Jimmy Alapag.

Andray Blatche kept on attacking the basket to keep Gilas in the game amidst Croatia’s steady shooting but he had to step out of the game late in the second quarter after he injured his knee.

Instead of falling apart, Gilas fought back as Alapag nailed an exceptionally long three point shot, and-one, to cut Croatia's deficit down to nine.

Jeff Chan then added another triple to end the first half with Gilas only trailing 37-31 against a powerhouse opponent.

Chan opened the third quarter with a triple to get Gilas within three points but Croatia responded with a 6-0 run to extend their lead to nine at 43-34. Blatche answered with a three-point play on the other side to halt the Croatian run. Blatche continued to pour in the points as he nailed a triple and a floater for a 50-46 count still in favor of Croatia.

A Castro triple got Gilas within three with a corner triple but he was inexplicably called for a technical foul for flopping even though there was some contact. Krunoslav Simon made both free throws and added a triple to end the quarter. They led 57-49 heading into the final quarter. De Ocampo started the fourth with a triple but Bojan Bogdanovic replied with his own three for a 60-52 count.

Down to last shot in regulation

Blatche later on brought it down to just six points, 62-56, after a couple of free throws.

Bogdanovic made a baseline jumper to reply but Chan made a three followed by a inside two from Pingris. After playing catch-up for most of the game, the Philippines finally pulled even late in the fourth quarter. With less than four minutes left in the  game, Andray Blatche tied the game at 64-all with a triple.

Croatia reclaimed the lead with two free throws but Chan was fouled taking a three and he hit all his free throws for a 67-66 lead with 2:49 left in the game.

After a stop, Blatche extended the Philippines lead to three but Croatia responded with five quick points to retake the lead 71-69 with 1:33 left in the game.

Castro tied the game at 71-all with a floater inside and Gilas had a shot at winning the game after Simon missed a layup with 20 seconds left.

But Chan missed a game-winning attempt that would have won the game for Gilas and probably would have made him a national hero.

Blatche led Gilas with 28 points, while Chan added 17 built around four triples. Pingris chipped in 10 as he courageously battled the much taller Croatians in the paint. The sweet-shooting Bogdanovic paced Croatia, ranked 16th in the world, with 26.

The scores:

Croatia (81) - Bogdanovic 26, Simon 12, Saric 10, Tomic 8, Markota 5, Ukic 5, Lafayette 4, Rudez 4, Zoric 4, Babic 3.

Gilas Pilipinas (78) - Blatche 28, Chan 17, Pingris 10, Castro 6, De Ocampo 5, Alapag 4, Norwood 2, Fajardo 2, Lee 2, Aguilar 0.

Quarters: 23-9, 37-31, 57-49, 71-71, 81-78

Highlights of the match courtesy of FIBA.com: