Marcos lauds Gilas Pilipinas after win in FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Thursday congratulated Gilas Pilipinas after it pulled off an 89-80 shocker against world no. 6 Latvia in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

In a social media post, the President also extended well wishes to the Philippine team.

''4 years in the making and worth every second!  Congratulations to Gilas Pilipinas for their victory against world number 6, Latvia, at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament,'' Marcos said.

''We are all cheering you on from home—let’s shoot for Paris Olympics! Good luck!'' he added. 

The Philippine team is now in a good position after improving to 1-0 in Group A, but still have to win their next game against Georgia later tonight at 8:30 p.m. to advance to the semifinals. 

Only the winner of the OQT will earn the highly-coveted Paris Olympics ticket.

Gilas caught fire right away with a hot 8-0 start and even led by as many as 18 early in the second period with the troika of Sotto, June Mar Fajardo, and Brownlee causing headaches for the hosts by bringing Gilas to a 36-18 lead.—AOL, GMA Integrated News