PASAY CITY (Philippines) - The Philippines flipped the script this time and beat New Zealand by way of a thrilling 93-89 result to post one of the biggest upsets in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers on Thursday night at an electric Mall of Asia Arena.
Fueled by the 11,686 fans that watched live, this Gilas batch accomplished what no other team from the past could do as they ended a winless spell against the Tall Blacks - and, more importantly, remained unbeaten at 3-0 across two windows.
The Filipino dribblers lost their first four meetings against the current 22nd-ranked team in the world, so it couldn't get any sweeter that years of torment finally came to an end on the very same venue where the skid began eight years ago.
And in a way they know very best, 'PUSO' was exemplified anew by Gilas as plenty of heroes stepped up to the plate to ensure victory by the sound of the final buzzer.
Justin Brownlee starred with 26 points and 11 rebounds, alongside 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks for a full line, registering an efficiency of 36 in the process.
Kai Sotto flirted with a triple-double as he tallied 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, together with a steal, and a pair of blocks.
The two formed a solid 1-2 combo in the closing moments, with 'JB' calmly sinking his pressure-packed free throws with 11.1 seconds left for the eventual scoreline before Sotto swatted away Taylor Britt's lay-up on the other end to secure the triumph.
Scottie Thompson provided 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists while Chris Newsome delivered 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
Newsome himself was crucial in the endgame as well, nailing a big triple from the left wing to push their lead to 91-84 with 1:09 left before coming up with a crucial stop against Sam Waardenburg to help keep the visitors at bay.
Dwight Ramos added 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Philippines, who seized the lead in the third quarter through a blistering 16-0 run toward a 72-60 advantage with under a minute left - the run that indeed changed the complexion of the ball game.
With the win, Gilas remain atop Group B and could formalize their entry to the Asia Cup by taking care of business versus Hong Kong, China on Sunday, November 24.
Game time is also at 7:30 p.m. and at the Mall of Asia Arena, still, with Gilas preparing to host a team that has yet to win in the ongoing Qualifiers.
Hong Kong, China fell to 0-3 after absorbing an 85-55 beatdown at the hands of Chinese Taipei at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
Al Bachir led Chinese Taipei with 18 points. Hu Long-Mao had 17 points and 7 rebounds. Brandon Gilbeck made 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Ma Chien-Hao added 13 as their balanced attack was mostly thanks to Chen Ying-Chun.
In quarterbacking their offense, Chen collected 13 assists, which is now the second-most in a single game in Asia Cup Qualifiers history. The team had 29 in total.
Chinese Taipei improved to 1-2, posting their first win of the Qualifiers after losing to both New Zealand and the Philippines back in the first window last February.
The Tall Blacks, meanwhile, fell to 2-1 following the loss, which wasted the solid performances of Corey Webster (25 points), Tom Vodanovich (19 points), and Waardenburg (19 points) and spoiled as well the debut of Coach Judd Flavell.
Bronze medalists in the 2022 Asia Cup, New Zealand will look to regain their winning ways when they face Chinese Taipei once more on Sunday at Christchurch.
FIBA