Gilas Pilipinas opened its title defense in the 2026 Asian Games with an 89-85 loss to Bahrain on Friday in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

The Philippines struggled to contain Bahrain’s offense, particularly in the second half, as Bahrain pulled away with a 21-5 run spanning the latter part of the second quarter and the opening minutes of the third.

Gilas entered halftime trailing 49-43 after Bahrain closed the second period with an 8-0 run.

Calvin Oftana kept the Philippines within striking distance, scoring 31 points, including several crucial 3-pointers in the second half.

But Bahrain extended its lead to 76-61 after three quarters, with Ahmed Al Derazi hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the period.

Gilas mounted a late comeback attempt in the final quarter. Justine Baltazar scored to cut the deficit to 87-78 with 3:35 remaining, while Don Trollano hit a transition 3-pointer to bring the Philippines within four at 89-85 with 11.2 seconds left.

Bahrain held on, however, to secure the victory.

Baltazar, Adrian Nocum and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser also contributed for Gilas, which started the game with Nocum, Trollano, Robert Bolick, Baltazar and Zavier Lucero.

The defeat gives the Philippines an early setback in its bid to defend the men’s basketball gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.