Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone refused to use the absence of naturalized star Justin Brownlee as an excuse following the Philippines’ lopsided 92-49 loss to Australia in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Monday at RAC Arena, instead acknowledging the Boomers’ overwhelming athleticism and defensive pressure.
But for Cone, Brownlee’s absence was nowhere near enough to explain the 43-point defeat.
“Well, it wasn’t worth 40 points, that’s for sure,” Cone said.
“He’s a guy we can go to in tough moments, but he just wasn’t ready to play tonight. He wouldn’t have been much of a help the way he was feeling.”
Instead, Cone credited Australia for showcasing why it is ranked sixth in the world, pointing to the Boomers’ physicality, athleticism, and relentless defense that overwhelmed Gilas from the opening tip.
“We really felt we could come out and compete, but we only competed in stretches. That’s not good enough against a high-quality team like this, the number six team in the world. There’s a reason they’re ranked that highly,” he said.
“Like I said, they had really superior athletes out there getting into us and making it tough.”
(C) FIBA
Australia imposed its will immediately, racing to a 24-8 lead behind suffocating full-court pressure that forced seven Philippine turnovers in the opening period. Gilas repeatedly struggled just to advance the ball across halfcourt, allowing the Boomers to dictate the tempo.
The Philippines briefly found life in the second quarter as June Mar Fajardo scored six points while Gilas held Australia to just eight points in the period, trimming the deficit to 41-27 at halftime.
However, any hopes of a comeback disappeared after the break as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor ignited an explosive third quarter before Bryce Cotton came off the bench to finish with a game-high 21 points.
Cone admitted Gilas simply had no answers for Australia’s backcourt.
“Well, what is he, like a six-time MVP in the NBL? He’s one of the superior athletes. He’s incredibly quick and gets off the floor so fast on his jump shot,” Cone said of Cotton.
“We were supposed to switch some of the screens he was getting, and we weren’t getting to the proper switch. We weren’t executing well. Again, their defense created so much for their offense and so much for Cotton.”
Cone did praise Dwight Ramos for his defensive effort against Proctor, who still finished with 16 points but needed 15 shots to get there.
“Dwight did a good job on Proctor, holding him to 5-for-15 from the field, so he was one of our targets. We knew Bryce was coming off the bench, and we’d have to deal with him.”
Still, Australia’s ball pressure proved too much for Gilas’ guards.
“The bottom line was our point guards struggled tonight under the pressure, and then having to guard those kinds of guys was a revelation for them,” said Cone.
“As Dwight said, it’s something we’ve got to take hold of and get better. If we move on, we’re going to see players like Bryce, Proctor, Jack McVeigh, Mitch Creek, all those guys. They’re tremendous players and they know the game.”
Ramos echoed his coach’s assessment, admitting Australia’s defense disrupted his rhythm on both ends of the floor.
“I mean, I’m just playing the game. I’m out there taking the ball up, trying to initiate the offense, and at the same time guarding Proctor. Tough matchup. He’s a good player,” Ramos said.
“Yeah, I struggled a little bit on offense, but that’s because of Australia’s defense. I just have to get better moving forward.”
