ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - It's unusual to watch a friendly game between Türkiye and the Philippines where the latter side is the one preparing for an international competition, but that's exactly what happened tonight. However, the hosts still prevailed 84-73 in Istanbul.
The story of the game
Similarly to what happened on several occasions at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Philippines found a way to stay cohesive and compact throughout the 40-minute clash in Istanbul against Türkiye. Was it enough? No, but they can build on this performance.
The home side, much more experienced but tiring early in the encounter since they are not training for any international competition, managed to find a way to win. Türkiye, which lost at home to Croatia in the 2023 Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, ended up on the winning side.
The main issue for Tim Cone to address ahead of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia is transition defense. On too many occasions, Ergin Ataman's team managed to run the floor, catching the opponents unprepared to contend with the fast break.
With Tarik Biberovic's three-pointer off the screens and Can Korkmaz's clutch performance at the free-throw line (he finished with 12 points, going 9/9 FT), Türkiye secured the victory only in the final moments. Despite fighting under the rim and winning the rebounding battle 39-29, the Philippines created more opportunities and displayed physicality. They head to Riga with increased awareness.
The player of the game
Whether it's an official encounter or a friendly game, it doesn't really matter: Tarik Biberovic remains one of the faces of the future for Türkiye. His 23-point performance, including 5/9 from beyond the arc, is yet another demonstration of his talent.
This isn't the first time Fenerbahce's rising star has shown his potential in international basketball. In his first two official appearances with the Turkish national team, the 23-year-old sharpshooter was by far the best player on Ergin Ataman's roster.
Averaging 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds over two games in February for the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket European Qualifiers, he shot 46.7% from deep. Against Iceland, he turned clutch with a glacial fadeaway buzzer-beater, preventing his team from returning home winless.
The stats of the game
Justin Brownlee played 37:20 minutes in tonight's friendly game. His offensive presence and skillset are fundamental for the Philippines, but he needs to have a greater impact from the perimeter—he shot just 1/7 from beyond the arc—to add even more star power to his game.
Tim Cone relies heavily on the 36-year-old, who looked in pretty good shape, finishing with 21 points on 9/15 shooting from inside the arc. Absorbing contact has become routine for 34-year-old June Mar Fajardo as well. Sporting a new haircut, he recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in 29:32 minutes on the court. Age is just a number.
The takeaways from the game
A good day always starts in the morning, and the Philippine national team certainly saw the light in tonight's matchup, at least for the first three quarters, keeping Türkiye under control. Things will be different in Riga, but skeptical fans should take heart—this team isn’t alone in the darkness. With 20 hours of sunlight expected in Riga, the future looks bright.
Metaphors aside, the Philippines could genuinely threaten Latvia and Georgia when they find a lucky day shooting-wise. The main issues at the moment are Kai Sotto's foul troubles—he finished the game early with 5 fouls—and Tim Cone's rotations. Japeth Aguilar, Mason Amos, and Kevin Quiambao had only 12:51 minutes of playing time combined.
There’s no recent update regarding the number of Filipinos living in Türkiye, but in 2008, there were 5,500. Even if only one-fifth of that number were in the stands of the Akatlar Arena tonight, they made themselves heard.
As of 2017, 123 Filipinos were registered in Latvia. If you hear screams on random occasions while the ball is near the opposing rim and Gilas is attacking, you know where those sounds are coming from. Clue: not from Latvian or Georgian fans.
Finally, talking about the winning side, optimism is the right word for approaching the next EuroBasket Qualifiers window. Still without its NBA stars like Alperen Sengun, Cedi Osman—seen on the sideline watching his countrymen—and Furkan Korkmaz, Türkiye can work on its strengths to put last year's bad memories aside.
FIBA