Gilas Pilipinas Men came out blazing, but when the early fire cooled, the New Zealand Tall Blacks seized the momentum, capitalized on key breaks, and held firm.
In front of a packed SM Mall of Asia Arena, the Philippines’ late rally fell short as it absorbed a 69-66 setback to open Window 2 of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Thursday.
Buoyed by the hot hands of CJ Perez, who scored Gilas’ first 10 points, the hosts raced to an early 14–7 lead. But once Perez picked up his second foul, the rhythm unraveled for the Philippines.
Gilas slipped behind, 37–27, with three minutes left in the second quarter before Scottie Thompson—who checked in with 3:02 remaining in the half—settled things down. Thompson sparked a 10–0 run that pulled the Philippines even heading into halftime.
However, Max Darling, Sam Mennenga, and Alex McNaught took control after the break, repeatedly punishing Gilas inside and swinging the game in New Zealand’s favor. It did not help that Justin Brownlee struggled to find his usual form. The naturalized forward, who had been averaging 22.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists across his previous FIBA national team appearances, was held to a quiet four-point, six-rebound outing.
Gilas refused to go quietly in the fourth quarter. Dwight Ramos electrified the crowd with a booming triple that cut the Tall Blacks’ lead to 66–64 with 47 seconds remaining. Ramos would score again with 8.1 seconds left, bringing Gilas within striking distance. A split on the stripe by Reuben Te Rangi gave the Philippines a chance to take the lead, but Ramos’ last-second hail-mary attempt missed, allowing New Zealand to escape with the win.
With the loss, the Philippines dropped to second place in Pool A, while Australia—which earlier defeated Guam, 93–80—remained the lone unbeaten squad at 3–0.
New Zealand notched its first win and will next face winless Guam on Sunday at the University of Guam Field House. Gilas faces a tougher challenge in its next assignment, hosting Australia on Sunday at the same venue.
The Philippines could not replicate its triumph over New Zealand at the arena last November 21, 2024, when Gilas pulled off a 93–89 victory. Since then, the Tall Blacks have taken three straight meetings, including an 87–80 win in the Asia Cup Qualifiers last February 23, 2025, and a 94–86 decision in the Asia Cup proper on August 7.
