TAIPEI (Chinese Taipei) - Lu Chun Hsiang nailed arguably the biggest shot of his career as Chinese Taipei dealt the Philippines their first loss of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, 91-84, Thursday night at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
The spitfire guard showed no hesitation under duress, converting Al Bachir's kick-out to an assist by nailing the triple from the left wing to make it a two-possession ball game, 89-84, with 47.1 seconds left to play, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
A two-handed jam by Brandon Gilbeck with under 20 ticks to spare, and a steal by Lu himself from Dwight Ramos shortly after all but sealed the victory that kept the crew in contention to reach the tournament proper in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
By improving to 2-3, the East Asian side have secured the third spot in Group B and is therefore bound to compete in the Qualifying Tournament for Third-Place Teams.
Bachir and Lin Ting-Chien finished with 21 points apiece to lead Chinese Taipei, with the latter adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists to his tally for an efficiency of 26.
Lu registered 18 points as he and the aforementioned duo combined for 11 of the team's 15 threes, indeed utilizing the outside shot to deal the Filipino dribblers their first loss of the Qualifiers after starting out with an unbeaten four-game streak.
Before that dagger trey by Lu, Lin was responsible in regaining the lead for good for his side, nailing a triple of his own as a response to Chris Newsome's jumper on the other end for the 84-82 edge approaching the game's final two minutes.
Then came the biggest of plays in the closing moments, leaving the visitors disappointed as they bowed to a team they'd beaten multiple times in the past.
Together, Chinese Taipei weathered as well the big night of Justin Brownlee, who erupted for 39 points behind 8 treys, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists to lead the Filipino dribblers, who are still trying to figure out playing without the injured Kai Sotto.
Dwight Ramos tallied 15 points and 5 rebounds while AJ Edu, back in a Gilas uniform for the first time since the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, added 10.
The Philippines dropped to 4-1 following the loss, making their rematch against New Zealand at the Spark Arena in Auckland a clash for the no. 1 spot in Group B.
Both squads tote identical records, with the Tall Blacks hiking theirs following a masterful 92-51 win over Hong Kong at the Tsuen Wan Stadium.
Jordan Ngatai led the way with 20 points on a 6-of-7 clip from deep for New Zealand, who pulled away in the second quarter en route to completing the sweep of their counterparts. They also won their first meeting in convincing fashion, 88-49.
Reuben Te Rangi finished with 18 points. Tai Wynyard made 13 points and 9 rebounds with a pair of blocked shots while big man Tohi Smith-Milner added 10 in the win.
The triumph should serve as a solid gear-up toward their much-awaited encore with the Philippines after losing to them back in November in Pasay.
Duncan Reid, meanwhile, was the lone bright spot with 17 points for Hong Kong, who are now out of contention as they lost their fifth game in as many outings.
FIBA