For head coach Tim Cone, the second-half brilliance of Kevin Quiambao was “the highlight of the team” despite Gilas Pilipinas absorbing an 87-95 defeat to Chinese Taipei in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 opener early Wednesday morning (Philippine time) at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After Gilas import Justin Brownlee picked up his fourth personal foul at the 6:51 mark of the third quarter, Cone — who also serves as Barangay Ginebra’s longtime tactician — turned to a game-ready Quiambao.
The 23-year-old forward had just come off a rigorous training camp in the United States in a bid to make the NBA Summer League last July.
“As for Kevin, he played very, very well. He was definitely the highlight of our team tonight,” said Cone, speaking highly of the Goyang Sono Skygunners’ Asian import in the Korean Basketball League.
Quiambao came alive in the fourth quarter in a desperate push to prevent another loss at the hands of Yin-Chun Chen and Chinese Taipei.
The two-time UAAP MVP erupted for eight of the team’s first 12 points in the period, highlighted by his signature stepback three-pointer, cutting the deficit to just six, 74-80, with 4:49 left on the clock.
However, the rally stalled as Brownlee fouled out just 18 seconds later, leaving Quiambao without his veteran counterpart in the crucial moments.
From there, Chinese Taipei clamped down defensively on Quiambao. Meanwhile, Chen delivered a personal five-point run that extended the lead to 74-85, effectively putting the game out of reach with a little over three minutes remaining.
This defeat also marked a bitter milestone: the first time in over a decade that the Philippines has suffered back-to-back losses to Chinese Taipei in official FIBA play. It follows their 84-91 defeat in the final window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers last February 20.
“He came out and played with a lot of energy, hitting some big shots for us. However, we still came up short. Once again, we were playing on our heels — rushing to get back into the game, forcing a lot of ill-advised shots, and committing unnecessary fouls,” Cone admitted.
Despite the loss, Quiambao stood out as a silver lining for Gilas. He finished with 17 points — all in the second half — on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting clip. He also had four rebounds and two assists in just 16 minutes and 35 seconds of play.
A long-time believer in Quiambao’s potential, Cone emphasized that the young forward’s performance is a glimpse of what’s to come as Gilas looks to bounce back.
“This loss is a major roadblock that we now have to overcome,” Cone said. “But coming into this tournament, we truly believed we had a real chance to go far — no doubt about it. If that means coming from the loser’s bracket, then that’s what we’ll have to do.”
Gilas’ uphill climb continues in a must-win match against Oceania powerhouse New Zealand on Thursday at 11:00 PM (Philippine time) — a game that could determine the fate of their playoff hopes and their dream of ending a 40-year FIBA Asia Cup title drought.
