MANILA – Justin Brownlee once again delivered when it mattered most, powering Gilas Pilipinas to a 95-88 overtime win against host Saudi Arabia to secure a quarterfinals berth in the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 on Monday, Aug. 11, at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
Brownlee scored a game-high 29 points, including a triple with 8.4 seconds left that sent the game into overtime. He also had five assists and four rebounds.
The Philippines dominated the extra period, outscoring Saudi Arabia 16-9, with Kevin Quiambao sparking the run with a three-pointer. The win was Gilas’ second in four games.
The national squad surged to a double-digit lead, 25-15, after the first quarter behind the efforts of Brownlee, AJ Edu and Quiambao.
However, the host team bounced back and erased the deficit with a 14-1 run fueled by the all-around performance of Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman who finished with 33 points, including eight triples.
Edu scored 17 points and made his presence felt inside the paint with 11 rebounds and a block, while Quiambao also finished with 17 points and Scottie Thompson added crucial four points and 10 rebounds.
“They posed a lot of problems for us, and by all rights, they had the game won except for the guy sitting to my right (Brownlee). He’s the big shot. And if you know his history, that’s not unusual. He’s been hitting big shots,” Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone said.
The Filipinos will face two-time defending champion Australia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has ruled Calvin Oftana and CJ Perez out for the remainder of the Fiba Asia Cup due to ankle injuries.
Both players sustained sprainked ankles, making them unavailable in the quarterfinal clash with Australia.
Oftana re-aggravated his right ankle injury after accidentally stepping on Iraq’s Ihab Al-Zuhairi in the fourth quarter of Gilas’ 66-57 victory over the Iraqis.
Perez, on the other hand, lost his balance in the second period as he tried to chase a loose ball and collided with Ali Shubayli, who landed on his right ankle.
“We appreciate their selflessness and willingness to serve, jumping right to Gilas duties after competing in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals,” the SBP posted on Facebook.
“Thank you for your service. We’ll continue to battle for you,” the federation added.
Both players entered the Fiba Asia Cup already worn down from the grueling PBA championship series, where Perez’s San Miguel Beer beat Oftana’s TNT.
With Oftana and Perez out, the nationals face an uphill battle against the undefeated Australia Boomers, who topped Pool A and earned direct entry to the quarterfinals. / PNA / RP2 SPORTS