MUCH like their opening day match, Gilas Pilipinas struggled to keep the game close and found themselves playing catch-up from start to finish, ultimately allowing New Zealand to pull away with a crucial 94-86 win. 

Justin Brownlee’s heroic performance still wasn’t enough to carry the Philippines to a much-needed victory, as they dropped to a 0-2 record in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup currently being held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Throughout the contest, the Tall Blacks took full advantage of Gilas Pilipinas’ defensive breakdowns—consistently attacking the paint and capitalizing on every defensive miscue with a relentless barrage of three-pointers.

With the loss, Gilas must secure a win in their final group stage match against fellow winless team Iraq to keep their hopes alive and qualify for the quarterfinal playoffs reserved for third-placers in each group.

Defensive Struggles Continue

In front of a lively crowd at the King Abdullah Sports City, Gilas Pilipinas opened the game with a quick 6-2 lead, attacking the paint with purpose and aggressiveness. However, their interior defense once again became a glaring weakness.

Struggling to protect the shaded area, Gilas allowed the Tall Blacks to score with ease—getting straight-line drives to the rim, wide-open threes, and free throws off unnecessary fouls. This defensive lapse helped New Zealand take early control with a 23-14 lead.

Still, the Nationals tried to keep things close. Carl Tamayo split his free throws, followed by a tough off-balance layup from Chris Newsome to trim the deficit to 18-23 at the end of the first quarter.

Kevin Quiambao, who was subbed in earlier than usual, opened the second frame with a smooth step-back three, narrowing the gap to just 21-23. But from that point, New Zealand began to pull away.

After Brownlee knocked down another three to make it 26-29, Jordan Ngatai—New Zealand’s hottest shooter—responded with back-to-back triples, helping the Tall Blacks shoot an impressive 60% from deep.

Mojave King, Flynn Cameron, and Jack Andrew combined for a 15-point burst, giving New Zealand their largest lead of the game at 18 points. Fortunately for Gilas, baskets from Quiambao and June Mar Fajardo helped cut the deficit slightly before halftime, 41-55.

Third Quarter Spark

After a shaky first half, Gilas Pilipinas returned to the floor in the third quarter with renewed determination, launching a 13-0 run to claw their way back into the contest.

It began with a three-pointer from Brownlee, followed by a smooth layup from Dwight Ramos that cut the deficit to 54-62. New Zealand responded with a triple from Tohi Smith-Milner and a jumper by Flynn Cameron, regaining a comfortable 67-54 lead.

Ramos kept the fire alive with consecutive baskets—a layup and a jumper—before Brownlee connected on another three, slicing the lead down to four, 64-68.

The Tall Blacks responded with composure, as Smith-Milner knocked down two free throws to make it 70-64. Carl Tamayo answered with a long jumper to bring it back to 66-70.

Taylor Britt then scored on a drive, but Brownlee once again delivered, trimming the lead to four. As the quarter closed, Britt capped it with a buzzer-beating layup, giving New Zealand a 74-68 edge entering the final period.

Late Push Falls Short

To open the fourth quarter, Max Darling hit a three and another bucket, while Britt added two free throws to stretch the lead to 81-70.

Fajardo knocked down a mid-range jumper, and Brownlee answered with another three to cut it to 75-81. But Jordan Ngatai hit a timely triple, pushing the lead back up to 84-75.

Ramos replied with a jumper, and though Darling added a free throw, Ramos hit another mid-ranger and Brownlee buried a deep three, pulling Gilas within three, 82-85.

Just as momentum swung toward Gilas, Britt came up clutch with a steal and converted a tough layup for an 87-82 lead. Edu blocked Britt on the next trip, but a crucial turnover from Ramos led to another wild layup from Britt, making it 89-82.

Smith-Milner added another basket, and though Edu delivered another huge block, Britt scored yet again on the next possession. Mojave King then iced the game with two free throws, before Ramos added a late layup to end it at 86-94.

Brownlee finished with a game-high 37 points on an efficient 12-of-17 shooting, including seven triples. Ramos supported with 19 points, 16 of which came in the second half.

Ngatai led New Zealand with 22 points, going a perfect 5-of-5 from deep, while Britt added 19 points and seven assists, playing a pivotal role in the Tall Blacks’ second-half surge.

Looking Ahead

Across both of Gilas Pilipinas’ losses, one major issue continues to surface: poor perimeter defense. Head coach Tim Cone emphasized that their inability to guard the three-point line has been a key reason for their early-game struggles.

“We have to solve that. Chinese-Taipei shot very well from the three the other night and tonight [New Zealand] shot very well from the three. That’s something that we have to get better at heading to our next game and in the tournament,” Cone said.

“We just have to identify shooters a little bit better. We didn’t do that very well in the first half and we did a good job in the second half. Ngatai had some open looks early. We knew coming out that he was going to be a shooter and we have to cover him, but we still did not cover him,” he added.

Now staring at a 0-2 hole, Coach Tim Cone stressed that beyond any tactical changes on the court, the more important shift must come from the team’s mindset. With their backs against the wall, there’s simply no more room for mistakes moving forward.

“To me, it’s just more mental adjustments than anything else,” he said. “Just something that we got to continue talking about and work on and try to figure out why teams are shooting so well.”

“It’s all going to be about the mental – getting loose balls, getting loose rebounds, and not allowing the extra possessions to get the three-point shots up. Hopefully, we can turn it around. We have to,” he added.

With everything at stake, Gilas Pilipinas will look to regroup and refocus as they gear up for a must-win clash against Iraq on Saturday, August 9 at 4:00 p.m. (Philippine Time) — or risk ending their 2025 campaign empty-handed.