Time and again, Justin Brownlee delivers heroic performances for the Philippines.
Facing a hostile crowd at King Abdullah Sports City, Brownlee showed no fear as he led Gilas Pilipinas Men to a 95-88 victory over Saudi Arabia, securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 on Tuesday (Manila time).
With Gilas trailing 79-76 and only 3.7 seconds remaining, Brownlee took control, sinking a well-contested three-pointer over Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman.
“It’s a familiar play we draw up,” Brownlee said.
“Well, it was a special game. Both teams gave a special performance,” added Cone.
Abdur-Rahkman then missed a potential game-winning corner three.
(C) FIBA.basketball
In the extra period, Gilas dominated as Saudi Arabia visibly lost steam.
Brownlee assisted Kevin Quiambao for a triple to start overtime, while a missed shot by Marzouq Almuwallad led to an unsportsmanlike foul against him on Dwight Ramos.
Ramos converted one of two free throws but made up for it by grabbing an offensive rebound off a Quiambao miss, extending Gilas’ lead to 85-79 with 4:05 remaining.
Khalid Abdel Gabar tried to slow the momentum, but Brownlee responded with his signature fadeaway jumper.
Clutch three-pointers from Quiambao and AJ Edu effectively ended any chance of a Saudi comeback.
The Philippines will next face Australia in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, marking their first meeting in seven years.
Saudi Arabia seemed on the verge of securing a quarterfinal spot as the host led 77-71 with 1:33 remaining in regulation.
Brownlee and Edu combined to cut the lead to one before Mohammed Alsuwailem tried to halt the Filipino rally with a basket of his own with 14 seconds left.
Then, Brownlee worked his magic.
“They caused a lot of problems for us, and they had the game well in hand — except for the guy sitting next to my right, who hit the big shot. If you know his history, that’s not unusual. He’s been hitting big shots all the time,” said Cone.
He finished with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field, along with five assists and four rebounds.
(C) FIBA.basketball
He received strong support from Edu and Quiambao, who each scored 17 points, with Edu also grabbing 11 rebounds.
Dwight Ramos contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, while Scottie Thompson added 10 rebounds alongside four points and four assists.
“It’s a good team win. I’m just happy for the whole team,” Brownlee said.
For Saudi Arabia, Abdur-Rahkman and Alsuwailem were the keys. The former tallied 33 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 42 minutes, while the latter produced 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting, along with 14 rebounds and two blocks.
Gilas played with only 10 men in the second half as Calvin Oftana did not suit up, and CJ Perez suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter.
The Scores:
Philippines 95 – Brownlee 29, Edu 17, Quiambao 17, Ramos 13, Fajardo 6, Tamayo 5, Thompson 4, Newsome 4, Malonzo 0, Aguilar 0, Perez 0.
Saudi Arabia 88 – Abdur-Rahkman 33, Alsuwailem 26, Almuwallad 10, Abdel Gabar 8, Almarwani 4, Belal 3, M Kadi 3, Almarwani 1.
Quarterscores: 25-15, 40-37, 60-59, 79-79, 95-88.
