MANILA – Australia gave Gilas Pilipinas a reality check as the Filipinos’ FIBA Asia Cup campaign ended in another quarterfinal exit with a 60-84 defeat at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025.
Another slow start doomed Gilas as Australia, behind a solid three-point shooting, raced to a 29-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Gilas managed to stay close to Australia the rest of the way, but it only kept Australia from further blowing the game wide open.
Owen Foxwell and Jaylin Galloway each scored 15 points for Australia, which will play the winner of another quarterfinal game between Chinese Taipei and Iran in the semifinals.
Kevin Quiambao put up 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long range and four rebounds for Gilas, which bowed out of competition for the second straight time after the quarterfinals.
Despite the defeat, coach Tim Cone remains proud of how Gilas fared in the continental event.
“I really like our team. I liked the way we played. I liked their togetherness. They’re all good guys, and they’re easy to coach,” Cone said.
However, he was disappointed at how Gilas was bamboozled in the quarterfinals.
“I didn’t like our performance tonight. I didn’t think we stepped up as much as we wanted to,” he said.
Gilas will now shift its focus to the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers, where it will face Australia again along with New Zealand and Guam. / PNA