GILAS Pilipinas’ furious fightback came short as New Zealand escaped with an 94-86 victory in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 group stage on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025 (PH time) at King Abdullah Sports City.
Down by 18 late in the second quarter, Gilas stormed back behind Justin Brownlee’s explosive 37-point outing, trimming the deficit to 85-82 with 3:48 left in the game. But Taylor Britt buried back-to-back baskets to restore the Tall Blacks’ cushion and seal their second straight win.
Jordan Ngatai added 22 points on a flawless 5-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while the Kiwis shot 50 percent from deep (13-of-26) and dominated the boards, 41-33. Britt finished with 19 points.
Dwight Ramos chipped in 19 points, while June Mar Fajardo bounced back with 11 markers and four boards after a quiet opener.
Now at 0-2 after also falling to Chinese-Taipei, Gilas faces a must-win clash against Iraq to stay in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth via the third-place playoff in Group D.
Scores:
New Zealand (94) – Ngatai 22, Britt 19, Cameron 12, King 11, Darling 8, Smith-Milner 8, Gold 6, Davison 5, Andrew 3, Murray 0.
Philippines (86) – Brownlee 37, Ramos 19, Fajardo 11, Newsome 8, Quiambao 5, Tamayo 4, Thompson 2, Oftana 0, Edu 0. / RSC
