WITH veterans June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar getting fewer minutes and taking the backseat, the new “Twin Towers” of Kai Sotto and AJ Edu are expected to take more prominent roles when the Philippines battles long-time Asian rival China in the FIBA World Cup 2023.

The 7-2 Sotto and the 6-10 Edu will join former NBA “Sixth Man of the Year” awardee Jordan Clarkson as they lead the Filipinos’ last-ditch stand against the Chinese in the 8 p.m. encounter that could also serve as a preview of their coming Asian Games showdown later this month.

“Saturday is our last game so we’ll just give our best. As a player, I will never enter a game having already given up. This is our last game so we will leave everything on the floor,” said Sotto, who finished with eight points, five rebounds and three blocks in the Filipinos’ 68-87 loss to South Sudan last Thursday.

“We need a quick turnaround so we need to move on. Whatever we learned here, we will apply in our next game and we’ll just give our best every time we step on the court,” he added.

Edu, who added a double double of 12 points and 14 rebounds in the Philippines” losing effort against South Sudan, is also wary of their next opponents.

“They’re a pretty tall team. But we’ve got some matchup with their big men. We know they’re confident, so we just have to give it our all, as simple as that,” said Edu,

The Chot Reyes-mentored Filipinos are hoping to secure their first win in five matches and avoid another winless campaign in the world’s biggest stage.

Reyes is keeping a positive attitude despite the team’s four-game losing skid.

“The only thing that we can do now is just focus on the next game. Our job right now is to get everyone ready for the next game (against China), “said Reyes, who is hoping to save face by avoiding to become the first team in history to come out winless since 1982.

“We’re trying to put everything together for one last push. There’s really no bearing except pride, fight for country, for service which is exactly why we’re here in the first place,” added Reyes.

“No matter how difficult this job is, we’re here, we’re doing it and hopefully we can come in and get to play our best on Saturday.”

The last time the Filipinos won a game in the FIBA World Cup was 81-79 in overtime aganst Senegal on Sept. 3, 2014 in Seville, Spain with Andray Blatche and Jimmy Alapag leading the way with 18 points apiece.

Also handled by Reyes, the Filipinos also dropped their first four assignments against Croatia, Greece, Argentina and Puerto Rico before beating Senegal in extra period.

The Philippines wound up with a 1-4 record.

In FIBA World Cup 2019, the Filipinos went 0-5 and finished dead-last in the 32-nation competition.