For the second time in five months, New Zealand proved it has found the formula to slow down Justin Brownlee.
The Tall Blacks once again took away Gilas Pilipinas’ biggest offensive weapon, limiting the naturalized star to just five points as they escaped with a thrilling 106-102 double-overtime victory in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Friday at Spark Arena in Auckland.
Brownlee had entered the contest averaging 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists through the first four qualification games. But he attempted just three field goals all night, finishing 2-of-3 from the floor with eight rebounds, four assists, three turnovers, and eventually fouling out late in the second overtime.
It continued a trend that has frustrated the 38-year-old against the Tall Blacks. In their previous meeting on February 26 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Brownlee was held to only four points on a dismal 2-of-10 shooting as New Zealand escaped with a 69-66 victory.
For Tall Blacks head coach Judd Flavell, neutralizing Brownlee was at the heart of the game plan.
“A lot of thoughts. A game like that, there’s a lot going on. The game could have gone either way,” Flavell said.
“I think that’s a true test of international basketball. We had some objectives that we were looking to do. Obviously, Brownlee, who’s a big part of the focal point offensively, we did a great job with him.
“Obviously, that opened up certain things for others, and they capitalized,” he added.
While Brownlee was bottled up, Gilas’ younger core answered the call.
Juan Gomez de Liaño and Kevin Quiambao poured in 23 points apiece, while Dwight Ramos added 18. Then Carl Tamayo chipped in 17 as the Philippines nearly stole the contest despite Brownlee’s quiet outing.
In fact, Gilas appeared poised to end its losing streak against New Zealand after grabbing a 100-96 lead in the second overtime behind an AJ Edu dunk and Brownlee’s lone three-pointer.
The Tall Blacks, however, leaned on their poise.
Reuben Te Rangi and Carlin Davison knocked down four consecutive free throws to erase the deficit before Brownlee was whistled for an offensive foul. Sam Mennenga converted the ensuing possession to put New Zealand back in front, and after Quiambao tied the game, Mennenga cleaned up a Davison miss for another go-ahead basket.
Davison then intercepted Gomez de Liaño’s inbound pass, forcing Brownlee into a transition foul to foul out of the game. Jordan Ngatai and Shea Ili calmly sank their free throws to seal the victory.
Flavell credited the composure of his veteran-laden squad for surviving the tense finish despite having only a few days to prepare together.
“We got together — was Tuesday our first practice? We get three practices in together and we’ve got an experienced group,” he said.
“Probably the experience and composure is what got the job done down the stretch.
“A real big win for us, the Tall Blacks. We came here with the objective to get the win. We knew the Philippines was going to be a very tough opponent. They always have been. Like I said to the guys in the locker room, very proud of the way they held their resilience and composure down the stretch,” he continued.
A key piece of New Zealand’s defensive versatility was forward Sam Waardenburg, whose ability to guard multiple positions allowed the Tall Blacks to adjust as Gilas found its rhythm.
“We went into switching. I can’t remember if that was at the end of regulation, but we started to switch because they were hurting us with what we were doing initially,” Flavell explained. “Wardenburg gives us the dynamic of being able to slide him to the three, potentially — we didn’t do that tonight — but also the four and the five.
“He gives us versatility.”
Waardenburg rewarded that trust with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds despite still working his way back into game shape after finishing his club season in Puerto Rico just weeks earlier.
The victory extended New Zealand’s winning streak over Gilas to four games and completed a first-round sweep of Brownlee, who managed just nine total points across their two meetings.
More importantly, the Tall Blacks joined Australia and the Philippines in advancing to the second round of the Asian Qualifiers, while Guam was eliminated from Pool A contention.
