FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers: Gilas Pilipinas hold off New Zealand to win 93-89 and maintain perfect record
Justin Brownlee and Kai Sotto registered double-doubles as the Philippines' men's basketball team recorded its first-ever victory over the Tall Blacks to remain undefeated in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.
Basketball
The Philippines men's basketball team extended their winning run in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers by defeating New Zealand for the first time, winning 93-89 in a hotly fought contest at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday (21 November).
Justin Brownlee led all scorers with 26 points and 11 rebounds and Kai Sotto chipped in 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Gilas Pilipinas as the home team staved off a last-quarter fightback by the Tall Blacks to go 3-0 in qualification for next year's FIBA Asia Cup.
The victory in Pasay City was hard won, with Gilas struggling for early momentum. Head coach Tim Cone was forced into early timeouts in the first and second quarters after New Zealand went 8-0 and 6-0, respectively.
Cone's early interventions, however, appeared to work with the Filipinos on both occasions able to work their way back into the contest with things all tied at 45-45 at halftime. That set Gilas up for a third-period effort that ultimately proved decisive as, for the first time in the game, they found themselves able to break free from New Zealand's clutches.
Sotto, in one of his best-ever performances in a national jersey, came out strong contributing five points to the 16-3 run that gave Gilas a 72-63 advantage going into the final frame.
From there, the Philippines held on despite the Tall Blacks' best attempts to claw the scoreline back. A clutch three-pointer by Chris Newsome with just over a minute remaining all-but sealed the deal for the hosts as they found the necessary points buffer to clinch the win.
Corey Webster finished with 25 points and 5 assists for New Zealand, who dropped to second place in Group B with a 2-1 record.
Gilas Pilipinas return to action for the final game of the second window against Hong Kong, China, on Sunday.