Gilas Pilipinas fell short once more after a close 85-89 loss to Finland in a tune-up game in Tallinn, Estonia early Thursday (Manila time).
Trailing 79-87 with 25 seconds remaining in the game, Scottie Thompson buried a three to close the gap at five, 82-87, with 11 seconds remaining.
However, Perttu Blomgren of Finland sank both of his free throws with 10 seconds left, effectively putting the game away.
Miro Little led Finland with 19 points while Jacob Grandison dropped a double-double performance with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Dwight Ramos led Gilas Pilipinas with 15 points as the Philippine team failed to bounce back from its 71-81 loss to Estonia’s under-21 squad last Wednesday.
The Scores:
FINLAND (89) – Little 19, Grandison 18, Blomgren 10, Tumba 8, Nyman 8, Luukkonen 6, Tainamo 5, Vaara 4, Nikkarinen 4, Kaukiainen 3, Mäntynen 2, Murphy 2, Tahvanainen 0.
PHILIPPINES (85) – Ramos 15, Brownlee 11, Fajardo 10, Thompson 10, Abando 8, Perez 8, T. Ravena 8, Aguilar 6, Malonzo 5, Newsome 4, Erram 0, K. Ravena 0.
QUARTERS: 26-11, 51-42, 68-60, 89-85.
