Despite coming off a concussion, Kai Sotto delivered a stellar performance, filling the stat sheet in Gilas Pilipinas’ landmark victory over New Zealand on Thursday night.
Sotto flirted with a triple-double as the Philippines held off the Tall Blacks for a 93-89 win—their first after four consecutive defeats—in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday evening at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The 7-foot-3 center came out ready, contributing across the board for Gilas. He finished with 19 points on 57.1 percent shooting from the field, along with 10 rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and one steal, helping the Nationals improve to 3-0 in Group B.
“Ako, para sa ‘kin, really good, really great team win, offensively and defensively. May mga lapses kami nung first half, pero nung second half nag-pick up kami,” said Sotto, who had been placed under the Japan B.League’s concussion protocol after getting hurt during Koshigaya’s loss to Yokohama less than two weeks ago.
Despite arguably his best performance in the qualifiers, Sotto chose to deflect the credit to his teammates for stepping up, especially in the crucial stretch when New Zealand cut an 11-point Gilas lead to just two with 2:39 left on the clock.
Dwight Ramos, Justin Brownlee, and Chris Newsome combined for a 7-2 run, with Newsome hitting a crucial three-pointer off an inbound pass to give the Philippines a comfortable 91-84 lead entering the final minute.
The Tall Blacks tried to stage a late comeback with Vodanovic scoring five straight points to bring the lead down to two, but Brownlee sealed the win with two free throws, securing the victory for Gilas.
“I think it was a really good game, they really challenged us. It was a good 40-minute game, very competitive from start to end, and I just want to give credit to my teammates for just keeping the fight going until the end. They made big plays towards the end of the game,” said Sotto, the former Adelaide 36er.
“I think it’s just a great team win. Everybody, like I said, contributed, and I’m just very happy we got the win. We really worked hard in terms of preparation, and coming into this game, we wanted to bring our A-game because we know how good New Zealand is, and we really respect them as a team,” he added.
Sotto emphasized the importance of the bond the team formed during the February window, when they earned dominant victories over Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.
“Nagsimula siya sa preparation namin simula window noong February, simula nung na-build ‘yung team, talagang tuloy-tuloy lang kami kaya manalo matalo, titingnan lang namin ‘yung bigger picture, and happy kami na nanalo kami ngayon kasi pinaghirapan talaga namin ‘tong game na ‘to,” he said.
The 22-year-old big man hopes to continue their impressive run and secure another victory against Hong Kong, which they defeated 94-64 in the last window, to solidify their spot at the top of the group.
“Yeah, I’m just happy we got the win, and hopefully, we get another one against Hong Kong,” he concluded.
