JEDDAH – Gilas Pilipinas finally found the footing it’s been looking for, putting together one solid stretch to eventually beat Iraq, 66-57, and stay alive in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, Saturday at the King Abdullah Sports City here.
Frustrated after starting out with back-to-back losses, the Nationals locked in after the break and went on a tear during the third canto, with June Mar Fajardo, Dwight Ramos, and Justin Brownlee joining hands for the decisive rally.
The eight-time PBA MVP scored underneath, before the two wings connected on three consecutive three-pointers for an 11-0 run. Gilas put up a 44-35 lead with 4:23 left — all they needed to swing momentum in their favor.
It was an explosive quarter for the Filipino dribblers as they outscored their counterparts, 22-7, to head into the final period owning a 15-point cushion.
Even though their foes countered to cut the gap to seven, there was no stopping Gilas anymore. Calvin Oftana hit a trey before Brownlee and Ramos came in again to make it a 64-50 count with under two minutes left.
The final buzzer soon rang, and the Philippine team could only breathe a huge sigh of relief as they ultimately remained in contention with a 1-2 record, good enough to finish as the third-seed in Group D — and advance.
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“It was a tough one because both teams were really desperate for a win because we were both 0-2 and both looking to advance,” offered head coach Tim Cone. “So, there was a lot of desperation in that basketball game.”
“They hit some shots early in the game and jumped on us, certainly worried us but we were able to get back and tie at halftime and we came out and rode the hot hand of Dwight and that got us a little bit of the lead,” he added.
Gilas is headed to the Qualification to Quarter-Finals, where it will take on the second-best team of Group C — either Jordan or Saudi Arabia 1 on Monday.
Both the hosts and the Falcons are currently toting similar 1-1 win-loss slates, although the Saudis have the edge in the head-to-head. They beat the 2022 fourth-placers by way of a 77-73 decision last Thursday.
The Jordanians will face the 2-0 China after the Gilas-Iraq game, hoping to pull off an upset and bolster their bid to reach the Quarter-Finals outright.
“We’re happy to be moving on. We know the road is gonna be tough, we know that we picked a tougher road to go. But we’re ready to accept that challenge,” said Cone, who also grabbed his first win in the Asia Cup.
Ramos was the lone double-digit scorer for the Philippines with 21 points alongside five rebounds, but nine others chipped in at least three.
AJ Edu finished with nine points and seven rebounds with three steals and two blocks following a commendable job patrolling the paint.
Brownlee produced eight points and seven rebounds, together with four assists and three steals. Fajardo made six points and seven boards, with Carl Tamayo adding six markers as well after back-to-back threes in the second.
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Iraq, on the other hand, was led by Thulfiqar Hammoodi and Ali Ismael with 13 points each and 11 rebounds combined in the defeat, which officially booted the team out of the competition as it lost all three of its assignments.
DeMario Mayfield added 12 points, while lead big man Ihab Al-Zuhairi almost tallied a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds for the West Asian side, which last won a game in the Asia Cup in 2017 in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Scores:
Philippines 66 – Ramos 21, Edu 9, Brownlee 8, Fajardo 6, Tamayo 6, Newsome 4, Quiambao 4, Oftana 3, Aguilar 2, Thompson 0.
Iraq 57 – Hammoodi 13, Ismael 13, Mayfield 12, Al-Zuhairi 8, Abdullah 5, Al-Khajafi 4, Alibraheemi 2, Abbas 0, Al-Musawi 0, Alqarnawi 0, Allah 0.
Quarterscores: 12-18, 33-33, 55-40, 66-57.
