Seven years have passed, but the Philippines is still searching for answers against Australia in FIBA men’s competition.
Gilas Pilipinas Men absorbed a wire-to-wire 84-60 defeat at the hands of the Boomers, bowing out of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 on Wednesday evening (Manila time).
Their last Asian-level meeting came during the FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers, where Gilas dropped both games — 68-84 at Margaret Court Arena and 53-89 at the Philippine Arena.
This time at the King Abdullah Sports City, Gilas showed more fight but was still outclassed by the Boomers.
“Mixed emotions. I really like our team and the way we play. They’re good guys and easy to coach, but I didn’t like our performance tonight,” said Gilas head coach Tim Cone.
“I don’t think we stepped up the way we wanted to. The Australian athleticism and length, even if you see it on video… Once you get on the court against them, you realize how superior they are,” added Cone, who was facing Gilas for the first time.
Australia opened the game with a blistering start, racing to a 16-4 lead behind red-hot shooting. Gilas’ three-point defense — a recurring problem throughout the tournament — proved costly again. The Boomers buried seven triples in the first quarter alone. Jaylin Galloway and Jack McVeigh accounted for three and two of those, respectively.
Kevin Quiambao provided a spark for the Philippines, scoring nine of Gilas’ 16 points in the second quarter.
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But from there, Australia maintained control, stretching the lead to as much as 26 in the second half.
“We tried a few things, but they didn’t work. We wanted to keep the game at a certain tempo and make it more of an execution-type game rather than an up-and-down one, but they completely disrupted that. We couldn’t do it,” said Cone.
“At some point, we tried to match their pace, and they just overwhelmed us. They started hot — making their first three threes — and jumped to an early lead. We were on our heels the rest of the way. It’s always tough to be in that situation, but I still think we could’ve played better, and we didn’t tonight.”
The Boomers shot an efficient 46% from the field and dominated the boards.
Five players scored in double figures, led by Owen Foxwell’s 17 points on three triples.
Galloway added 15 on four treys, and McVeigh had 12. Meanwhile, Xavier Cooks and Will Magnay chipped in 10 apiece — with Cooks grabbing seven rebounds and Magnay dishing seven assists.
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Quiambao led Gilas with 17 points on 60% shooting, including five triples.
Dwight Ramos added 15 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal, while Justin Brownlee was limited to just 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Gilas played shorthanded with only 10 healthy bodies, as Calvin Oftana and CJ Perez were sidelined by ankle injuries.
As of publishing, Gilas’ final standing remains pending with the other three quarterfinals still underway.
Nonetheless, the Nationals are assured of a top-eight finish — an improvement from their ninth-place showing in Jakarta three years ago.
Gilas wrapped up group play with a 1-2 record, their lone win coming in a 66-57 triumph over Iraq. They then booked a quarterfinal berth by defeating host Saudi Arabia, 95-88, in the knockout stage.
Australia, which has been dominant throughout the tournament — sweeping the group phase against South Korea, Lebanon, and Qatar by an average winning margin of 25.67 points — now awaits the winner of the Iran–Chinese Taipei matchup.
Gilas will now prepare for the November window of the World Cup Qualifiers, facing Guam on the road and at home.
Also in Pool A are Australia and New Zealand.
The Scores:
Australia 84 – Foxwell 17, Galloway 15, McVeigh 12, Cooks 10, Magnay 10, White 8, Wessels 6, Hickey 5, Daniels 1, Smith 0, Henshall 0, Bannan 0.
Philippines 60 – Quiambao 17, Ramos 15, Brownlee 10, Edu 8, Thompson 5, Tamayo 2, Aguilar 2, Malonzo 1, Newsome 0, Fajardo 0.
Quarterscores: 29-12, 48-28, 69-50, 84-60.
