Gilas put on a show in Pasig, rip Chinese Taipei to sweep Window 1

PASIG (Philippines) - The Philippines put their homecourt advantage into great use following a dominant 106-53 victory against Chinese Taipei to conclude their Window 1 campaign in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers unblemished, Sunday night at the Philsports Arena.

Buoyed by an electric home crowd that filled the venue, Gilas pulled away late in the first quarter before breaking the game wide open in the ensuing chapter, eventually gaining a share of Group B leadership with New Zealand as both squads tote identical 2-0 records.

Game heroes: Justin Brownlee led the balanced attack with 26 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks for an impressive efficiency rate of 40.

Kai Sotto, much to the delight of his compatriots, put on another solid double-double outing with 18 points and 10 rebounds, together 5 assists and 3 blocks.

 
Calvin Oftana supplied 13 points on three triples. Dwight Ramos produced 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field., while Kevin Quiambao added 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Turning point: The home team found themselves in a tight affair early on and were holding on to a slim two-point lead with 3:18 left in the opening period. But Sotto changed all that, leading a fiery 13-2 assault to end the quarter with a big 26-13 advantage.

It would be all Philippines from that point on, pouring 56 points in the middle quarters to head into the final frame with a commanding 82-41 lead as the visiting side couldn't replicate the same fight they showed against New Zealand in Taipei last Thursday.

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