ALLAN THE MAN

Gilas Pilipinas ended their 2014 FIBA World Cup campaign on a high note, clinching their only victory in the tournament, beating Senegal, 81-79, in a thrilling overtime game.

Naturalized player Andray Blatche finished with 18 markers and 14 rebounds, while team captain Jimmy Alapag added 18 points. Their win caps a string of heartbreaks for the nationals who were defeated by Croatia, Greece, Argentina, and Puerto Rico.

WATCH Gilas Pilipinas vs Senegal FULL GAME REPLAY VIDEO BELOW:

Finally.

After a string of heartbreaking defeats, the Philippine national men’s basketball team remained poise in the endgame to survive Senegal in overtime, 81-79, to wrap up its historic FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign Thursday in Seville, Spain.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 Thursday, MANILA TIME:

7:30 pm - Angola vs Australia

8:00 pm - Gilas Pilipinas (Philippines) vs Senegal

9:00 pm - New Zealnd vs Finland

9:30 pm - Egypt vs Brazil

11:30 pm - South Korea vs Mexico ; USA vs Ukraine

12:00 mn - Iran vs France ; Croatia vs Puerto Rico

3:30 am - Lithuania vs Slovenia ; Turkey vs Dominican republic

4:00 am - Spain vs Serbia ; Argentina vs Greece

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is set to play Korean team Changwon LG Sakers in a tune-up game that will help both squads prepare for their upcoming campaigns in their respective basketball leagues.

Ginebra will play the Sakers in a friendly game at the Araneta Coliseum on September 9, in an event dubbed the "Asian Basketball Showdown."

The Philippine national men’s basketball team has dropped four straight painful defeats in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, and Filipino fans, heartbroken and all, are still hoping for Gilas Pilipinas to grab that elusive win before they end the tournament.

At least, the Filipinos are not alone, as the foreign media has also thrown its support behind Gilas Pilipinas. After its close defeat to Argentina, columnist Jose Ignacio Pinilla of Spanish sports newspaper Diario AS wrote in a column that the Philippines “deserves” a win in the tournament.

Gilas Pilipinas fought for dear life but Puerto Rico put an end to it.The Puerto Ricans registered their first victory in the 2014 FIBA World Cup with a 77-73 win over the Philippines behind the amazing play of point guard JJ Barea.