On the day of Gilas Pilipinas' attempt to upset Italy, Jordan Clarkson promised that "prayers will be answered."

On Tuesday, August 29, the world-ranked Azzurri defeated the Filipinos 90-83 to advance out of Group A of the FIBA World Cup, proving that not even the basketball gods could change the balance of power between the two teams.

The Philippines needed to win at least 12 points to move on to the next round, but they were defeated by an artful show of precision and flair by Italy, finishing last in Group A with a record of 0-3 instead.

The defeat was the Philippines' eighth consecutive World Cup loss overall, and they were eliminated from the tournament and sent to the classification round, where they will play the two worst teams from Group B.

With 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, Clarkson once again led the way for the Philippines, but his efforts were in vain against a European powerhouse that has never lost to an Asian team in the World Cup.

Italy improved its record against Asian teams at the World Cup to 12-0 and advanced to the second round alongside the unbeaten Dominican Republic (3-0) after finishing second in Group A with a 2-1 record.

With 18 points and 6 rebounds, NBA player Simone Fontecchio, a teammate of Clarkson's on the Utah Jazz, led the way for the Azzurri. His leadership during a crucial second half that proved to be the game-changer.

June Mar Fajardo's first-quarter buzzer-beater gave Gilas Pilipinas a 23-20 lead, but Italy went on the offensive in the second quarter, scoring 48-39 to lead at the half after Fontecchio scored 10 points in the second quarter.

Giampalo Ricci scored 14 points, including four three-pointers, for the hot-shooting Italians, who made a total of 17 three-pointers in 41 attempts and backed up Fontecchio with 13 points, 9 assists, and 2 steals.

The Italians also received a strong performance from Alessandro Pajola, who scored 9 of his team-high 11 points in the third quarter, including the buzzer-beating triple that increased their lead to 73-60.

With the setback, the Philippines no longer has a chance at the automatic Olympic berth because only the top-ranked Asian team will be guaranteed a spot in the 2024 Paris Games. Instead, they must wait for all five other Asian teams to also lose in the second round.