Pagpupugay 1954: Philippines suffers blowout defeat to Brazil in FIBA World

Published October 24, 2014 9:21pm

Editor's Note: #Pagpupugay1954 is a series paying tribute to the Philippine national basketball team to the 1954 FIBA World Championship, which featured the best-ever finish by an Asian team in any world basketball competition. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the historic campaign, GMA News Online will release a series of stories following the exploits of the squad as if they were happening in real time.

24 October 1954

After opening its campaign win over Paraguay, the Philippines suffered a rude awakening in the 1954 FIBA World Championship, yielding a 99-62 blowout to host Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.

The South American powerhouse dropped 44 points in the first half to erect a 22-point lead that closed the door early on the Filipinos. The national team tried to match the Brazilians' scoring in the second half, improving their output to 40 markers, but the hosts continued to wax hot with 55 points after the break.

A boisterous home crowd — not to mention some questionable officiating — put the damper on the Philippines' gameplan to prevent the Brazilians from scoring heavily.

Brazil seemed to prepare for the Philippines' star center Caloy Loyzaga, limiting "The Big Difference" to just 11 points.

Team captain Lauro Mumar tried to carry the Filipinos on offense, finishing with 22 points. Pons Saldana added 15, but they were the only ones to finish in double digits for the country.

Mariano Tolentino, who scored 14 points against Paraguay, had a meager eight-point output, while Antonio Genato had none to show after a 13-point showing in the first game.

In contrast, all Brazilians scored for the host nation, with Angelo Bonifetti at the forefront with 18 points. Mayr Facci contributed 15, Marques Wlamir and Wilson Bombarda added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

With the loss, the Philippines finished the group stage with a 1-1 card. The team still needs to await the result of the last preliminary round game between Brazil and Paraguay on October 25. A win by Brazil would give the Philippines a ticket to the final round.

The Scores:

Brazil (99) - Bonifetti 18, Facci 15, Wlamir 12, Bombarda 10, Azevedo 8, Da Motta 8, Monteiro 8, Rasga 8, Pasos 5, Gedeao 4, Pereira 2, De Almedia 1

Philippines (62) - Mumar 22, Saldana 15, Loyzaga 11, Tolentino 8, Flores 2, Amador 2, Barreto 1, Manulat 1, Rabat 0, Bautista 0, Genato 0, Francisco 0

Halftime: 44-22

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