JEDDAH – Gilas Pilipinas now know who their foes are in the Qualification to Quarter-Finals of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 that starts this Monday.
The Filipino dribblers will face none other than the host itself after Saudi Arabia clinched the no. 2 spot in Group C following an 84-59 waylaying of a hard-luck India on Saturday night at the King Abdullah Sports City here.
In fact, Coach Tim Cone and his staff were in the bleachers to witness how the one-time silver medalists ran roughshod over their South Asian counterparts in the middle quarters behind a well-deployed attack toward the rout.
The Nationals’ brain trust came back to the venue hours after showing Iraq the door, 66-57, to finish as the No.3 team in Group D with a 1-2 record.
Both teams are familiar with one another, having fought in the FIBA World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, with the Philippines going 2-0.
Soon they’ll be facing practically the same players from that time, most of whom did damage in beating Team India to finish the Group Phase with a 2-1 card.
“The next match is not easy. It’s very difficult. We will give our best,” Saudi Arabia head coach Ricard Casas offered. “Of course, it’s very important, these next hours for our preparation. Because we will play a good team.”
A total of five players finished in double figures for KSA, with star big man Mohammed Alsuwailem leading the way with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman came through with 14 points, alongside six rebounds and five assists for another all-around effort.
Marzouq Almuwallad made 12 points, spiked by a pair of threes, with Khalid Abdel Gabar tallying a 10-5-5 stat line and Musab Kadi adding 10.
Fahad Belal and the Almarwani brothers Mohammed and Mathna added at least 6 points as they all played a significant role in taking care of business, which saw the crew shoot 44.9-percent and dominate the boards, 51-30.
Belal himself was responsible for putting themselves ahead for good as he opened the second chapter with a triple to erase a 25-24 India lead.
Then came Alsuwailem and the others, with Abdel Gabar pushing their lead to 42-29 with 45 ticks left. Then Abdur-Rahkman made it a 45-31 advantage at the half as their counterparts struggled to find an apt response.
India would go on to bow out of the tournament with a 0-3 record, further prolonging its search of a win — something it hasn’t done in a decade or since the 2015 competitions in Changsha, China where it finished with a 3-6 slate.
