GILAS Pilipinas had New Zealand on the ropes at some point in their tightly-contested match but ended up falling short on the road in double overtime, 106-102, in the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Friday, July 3, 2026 (PH time) at the Spark Arena in Auckland.
The men’s national team will play Australia next on Monday, July 6, 2026, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where they will look to avenge the loss to the Boomers in Manila last March in the second window of the Asian qualifiers.
In the game last Friday, the Nationals gave the highly-favored host a run for their money.
Gilas guard Juan Gomez de Liaño drained a clutch three-pointer to push the Philippines ahead, 92-90, with just 8.3 seconds remaining on the clock in the first overtime. However, a defensive lapse on the ensuing inbound play forced Gilas to foul Shea Ili, who calmly sank two free throws to knot the count at 92-all and send the game into a second extra period.
Gilas threatened to pull away again in the second overtime after Justin Brownlee ignited the offense with a booming triple, giving the squad a 100-96 cushion. Refusing to fold on their home floor, the Tall Blacks engineered a furious late-game counterattack to break the hearts of the Filipino cagers.
Gomez de Liano was also the one who sent the game into overtime after making a booming trey with 11.9 seconds left in regulation to make it 83-all.
Gomez de Liaño finished with 23 points, six rebounds, and four dimes, while Kevin Quiambao also put up 23 points, Dwight Ramos added 18 points and Carl Tamayo chipped in 17 markers for Gilas. / RSC
