2025 FIBA ASIA CUP | GILAS PILIPINAS GOES NUTS IN OVERTIME - SEALS QF MATCH WITH AUSTRALIA

FIBA.COM

Gilas Pilipinas looked ready to cruise after building a double-digit lead in the first quarter, but the fourth quarter told a different story. The offense stalled, the plays grew tentative, and with two minutes left, the Philippines trailed Saudi Arabia by six. I was already preparing an emotion-filled rant about the lack of adjustments and how it sometimes feels like fans have to push the coaching staff into making the right calls.

Case in point: Jamie Malonzo only saw action after Calvin Oftana went down with an injury.

I had skipped writing about the Iraq win, thinking I could lump it with an “easy” Saudi Arabia game before talking about our chances to finally blemish Australia’s perfect FIBA Asia record. But this was no longer the Saudi Arabia of old. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Mohammed Alsuwailem were ready to give us trouble, just like Chinese Taipei and Iraq had done earlier.

Then Justin Brownlee happened.

With 3.7 seconds left, JB posted up and hit a contested shot to force overtime, spoiling what could have been Saudi Arabia’s quarterfinal celebration. The Saudis—new to this level of high-pressure basketball—suddenly looked rattled.

Overtime brought out a different Gilas. Brownlee had his moments, but when he committed back-to-back turnovers, the young guns took over. Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, and AJ Edu delivered on both ends, while Scottie Thompson made key stops. Saudi Arabia self-destructed with questionable decisions: an untimely unsportsmanlike foul, rushed shots without rebounders set, failure to call a timeout during our surge, and even a lane violation on a purposely missed free throw.

The once-vocal Saudi crowd fell silent as the Pinoy fans—chanting “uwian na”—smelled blood. My own mood flipped from cursing missed open shots to celebrating a clutch triple party from Brownlee, Quiambao, and Edu.

With the win, we match our 2022 FIBA Asia Cup finish. But now comes the real test—Australia. The Boomers have been practically bulletproof against Asian teams, but we said the same about Latvia before upsetting them in their own backyard last year. Our last win over Australia came in 1974 at the FIBA World Cup, with legends like Robert Jaworski, Ramon Fernandez, Bogs Adornado, Francis Arnaiz, Manny Paner, Yoyong Martirez, and Abet Guidaben in the lineup.

Saudi Arabia may have given us a scare, but maybe that’s exactly the wake-up call we need. Australia won’t underestimate us. If we want to stand a chance, we’ll have to overachieve. And if there’s one thing Gilas has shown, it’s that just when you think they’re done, they find a way to claw back and finish in spectacular fashion.

GILAS PILIPINAS BOX SCORES VS SAUDI ARABIA

PLAYER	MINS	PTS	REB	AST
JUSTIN BROWNLEE	41	29	4	5
KEVIN QUIAMBAO	32	17	1	3
AJ EDU	38	17	11	4
DWIGHT RAMOS	42	13	10	3
JUNE MAR FAJARDO	14	6	2	4
CARL TAMAYO	7	5	2	0
CHRIS NEWSOME	15	4	2	0
SCOTTIE THOMPSON	31	4	10	4
JAMIE MALONZO	3	0	0	0
CJ PEREZ	1	0	0	0
JAPETH AGUILAR	1	0	0	0