Gilas make it rain at Philippine Arena, ties three-point record in Asian Qualifiers

MANILA (Philippines) - The Philippines made it rain in their first game at the Philippine Arena in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers to beat Lebanon, 107-96.

The win was also revenge for the Philippines who had lost to the Cedars back in Window 4, 85-81. Gilas Pilipinas are now on a four-game winning streak heading into their final game of the Asian Qualifiers on 27 February against Jordan. That game will also be played at the Philippine Areana, the venue of the Final Phase of the World Cup later this year.

All but one player got on the scoreboard for the Philippines with six players scoring in double-digits led by hyped-up debutant Justin Brownlee (17 points). Brownlee had an efficient 17 points on 50 percent shooting to go with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.

Another debutant, Mason Amos, was also impressive in his first Gilas stint, putting up 13 points without a single miss, including three three-pointers.

Lebanon could not keep up with the Philippine in this game even with Amir Saoud (27 points) and Hayk Gyokchyan (21 points), and Sergio El Darwich (19 points) provided a lot of firepower. The Cedars had a very efficient game offensively, shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the three-point line, but the Philippines were able to do so with more volume.

Turning Points: The Philippines took the lead early on and never let it go with a 13-0 run in the second quarter creating the gap that Gilas would hang onto until the final buzzer.

Game Heroes: Brownlee had a great debut, but Jamie Malonzo did a little bit of everything and was all over the floor in this game for what should be his best game so far in the Qualifiers. The high-flyer had 15 points on 6-9 shooting, made three three-pointers, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists, while also getting 1 steal and two blocks. He also threw down one of the best dunks so far in this window, giving the fans their money’s worth.

Stats don’t lie: It was the highest scoring game so far for Gilas in the Asian Qualifiers with 107 points, which came off of 17 three-pointers - tied for most in a single World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers game with Japan, Australia, and Kazakhstan. Nine of the Gilas players dropped at least one of those 17 threes and they all moved the ball around to the tone of 31 assists.

FIBA