Gilas Pilipinas suffered a shocking upset in the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, falling to Chinese Taipei, 91-84, on Thursday evening at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
This defeat marks the Philippines’ first loss to Chinese Taipei in FIBA competition since an 87-76 loss in the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge back on September 11 of that year.
Since then, Gilas had won their last four meetings, including a dominant 106-53 rout on February 25, 2024, to open the qualifiers.
“Everything we prepared for. First of all, we faced a stronger team. We were ready to compete and made a good step. I believe in my team. If you see how hard they work, they train. This win is not a surprise but is a good step forward,” said Chinese Taipei’s Italian head coach Gianluca Tucci.
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Justin Brownlee delivered a stellar performance for Gilas, erupting for 39 points while knocking down eight triples. He also contributed eight assists and six rebounds, but his heroics were not enough.
With Kai Sotto sidelined, Gilas leaned heavily on Brownlee as they attempted to rally from a 69-57 deficit late in the third quarter.
Slowly, the Filipinos chipped away at the lead.
Brownlee’s seventh three-pointer of the game put Gilas ahead, 80-79, with 3:56 remaining. However, Lin Ting-Chien responded by sinking two free throws to reclaim the lead for Chinese Taipei.
Chris Newsome answered with a short jumper to put the Philippines back on top, but that would be their final lead of the game.
Lin then drained another three-pointer, followed by a Brandon Gilbeck putback dunk off a missed shot, extending Chinese Taipei’s lead to four.
Though AJ Edu momentarily halted the bleeding with a jumper, costly turnovers by Gilas and clutch baskets from Lu Chun-Hsiang and Gilbeck sealed the stunning upset.
“I thought the Chinese Taipei team was very impressive. We made a couple of runs at them, hoping they would crack, but they never did. They kept their composure and kept making big shots,” said Gilas head coach Tim Cone.
“Very impressive win by them, and they were very well-deserving.”
Dwight Ramos contributed 15 points, including 10 in the second quarter, while AJ Edu added 10 points and six rebounds.
The Philippines shot 43.1% from the field but allowed the hosts to bury 15 three-pointers. Gilas also committed an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers, leading to 12 points for Chinese Taipei.
With the loss, Gilas dropped to 4-1 in the qualifiers as they prepare for a showdown against the New Zealand Tall Blacks on Sunday at Spark Arena.
Both Gilas and the Tall Blacks have already qualified for the Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
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Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei improved to 2-3, eliminating Hong Kong from Asia Cup contention.
Hong Kong had earlier suffered a 92-51 defeat to New Zealand at the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre.
Mohammad Gadiaga and Lin led Chinese Taipei with 21 points apiece, combining for seven three-pointers. Lin also tallied seven rebounds and five assists.
Lu Chun-Hsiang added 18 points on four triples, while Ma Chien-Hao contributed 14 points, knocking down three three-pointers.
The Scores:
Chinese-Taipei 91 – Lin 21, Gadiaga 21, Lu 18, Ma 14, Gilbeck 8, Chen 5, Gao 2, Tseng 2, Liu 0, Chou 0, Lan 0.
Philippines 84 – Brownlee 39, Ramos 15, Edu 10, Fajardo 9, Newsome 7, Thompson 4, Oftana 0, Tamayo 0, Perez 0.
Quarterscores: 22-20, 47-45, 71-61, 91-84.
