After four lopsided defeats, Gilas Pilipinas finally cracked the Tall Blacks code.
Kai Sotto and Justin Brownlee led the way as the Philippines secured a historic 94-83 victory over New Zealand, marking their first-ever win against the Oceanian country on Thursday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The victory kept the Philippines undefeated in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, remaining atop Group B with a perfect 3-0 record, while handing New Zealand its first loss.
With the win, the Philippines now has a chance to secure an outright ticket to next year’s Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
A win over Hong Kong on Sunday at the same Pasay venue, combined with a Tall Blacks victory over Chinese Taipei on Monday, would guarantee Gilas’ qualification.
Before this game, the Philippines had suffered four consecutive losses to New Zealand in FIBA-sanctioned events, with an average margin of defeat of 24.3 points.
“It was a tough one. They are good, they are really good. They are incredibly physical. I think that was the number one thing that we had to battle through. Credit to Kai and June Mar (Fajardo), battling through their bigs. It was physical too for Justin,” Gilas head coach Tim Cone said. “To overcome that and find a way to win was really special, especially because we’re on our home floor.”
Gilas, powered by Chris Newsome, Scottie Thompson, Sotto, Brownlee, and Carl Tamayo, unleashed a dominant 18-3 run to erase a 56-60 deficit in the third quarter, taking an 11-point lead, 74-63, early in the final period.
Despite a rally by New Zealand, with back-to-back three-pointers from Taylor Britt and former Converge import Thomas Vodanovich cutting the gap to 84-82 with 2:39 left, Gilas responded with clutch free throws from Brownlee and a dagger three-pointer from Newsome, pushing the lead to 91-84 with 1:09 remaining.
Vodanovich sparked a brief comeback for New Zealand with a personal five-point spurt, closing the gap to 91-89 with 20 seconds left, but Brownlee sealed the deal with two free throws, clinching Gilas’ historic win.
“We expected it was going to be a hard game [and] a physical game. They’re one of the top teams in the world, or top 20 or 25 teams in the world. So, we know it wasn’t going to be easy, it was going to be difficult. Just what we expected, just what coach Tim was showing us the whole week in training camp. Everything that happened, we expected,” Brownlee said.
Brownlee led Gilas with 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting, adding four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Sotto nearly posted a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Thompson contributed 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds, while Newsome added 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Ramos also chipped in 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Corey Webster led New Zealand in the loss with 25 points and five assists, while Vodanovich added 19 points and three rebounds.
Sam Waardenburg contributed 19 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one block, and Britt tallied eight points and 13 assists.
The Scores:
Philippines (93) – Brownlee 26, Sotto 19, Thompson 12, Newsome 11, Ramos 11, Fajardo 6, Perez 3, Oftana 3, Aguilar 0.
New Zealand (89) – Webster 25, Vodanovich 19, Waardenburg 19, Britt 8, Le’afa 6, Brown 5, Harris 3, Cameron 2, Harrison 2.
Quarterscores: 20-22, 45-45, 72-63, 93-89.
