GILAS PILIPINAS went berserk on Hong Kong’s undersized roster to complete a home stand sweep, burying the visiting team 93-54 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
On Sunday, the national team delivered another blowout over Hong Kong, improving their win-loss record to 4-0 after defeating every team in Group B of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualification phase.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong continues to suffer, remaining winless at 0-4, and sitting at the bottom of the standings at the end of the second qualification session.
Cruising their way
The game started close, with the visiting team leading 10-9 midway through the first quarter. However, Justin Brownlee, Kai Sotto, and June Mar Fajardo used their height advantage to lead 25-16.
Carl Tamayo, on the other hand, found his groove and took over in the second quarter, playing bully ball and hitting a corner three and a turnaround jumpshot to finish the first half with a 45-35 lead.
After a close start to the game, Gilas Pilipinas raced out for the rest of the second half and never looked back, cruising to a 39-point beatdown over the visiting Hong Kong.
Tamayo’s night
Tamayo bore the load and had his best game with the men’s national team, finishing with 16 points and five rebounds. Fajardo contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, while Brownlee added 13 points.
“Pinaghandaan talaga namin ‘to, and nag bunga naman yung pinaghirapan namin,” Tamayo said after the game, while also sharing some pointers he learned so far under the system of Gilas head coach Tim Cone.
“Coach [Tim Cone] always talks to me on what I should adjust sa game ko, especially on being more mature, being more relaxed in the game. That’s the thing na lagi niyang sinasabi sa akin, which I’m trying to improve on.”
“I’m very blessed to have coach Tim as my coach sa national team because he’s guiding me,” the former UP Fighting Maroons stars said, who now plays for the Changwon LG Sakers in the Korean Basketball League.
Sticking with the core
Now that Gilas Pilipinas will take another break, months before the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Gilas head coach Cone was asked if he intends expand the pool and add additional players.
“That’s [expanding the pool] something we’re going to assess, but I’m less likely to want to increase or expand the pool,” said Cone. “I think the more you increase the pool, the more teaching you have to do.”
“You have to keep a core going all the time, and really focus on that core, keep it a tight group, and I know that core’s gonna get better. If you start expanding the pool, you have to go back to zero and start teaching all over again.”
Cone also stated that the short preparation time between windows has limited the national team’s preparation to 4-5 days, which is the primary reason he is less likely to accept the concept of extending the pool.
“Keeping 20 guys in, you have to teach those 20 guys how to do things in 4 to 5 days, and that’s really hard. But again, that’s something we’re going to assess,” the decorated tactician went on to explain.
“Everything’s gonna be assessed, the coaching staff’s gonna be assessed, the player’s are going to be assessed, everything’s gonna be assessed by year end.”
“Hopefully, all the higher ups are pleased with what’s been going on, and they’ll keep the same program going on. But that doesn’t mean we’re not gonna tweak something here and there,” he added.
Gilas will return to action on February 20 against Chinese Taipei in the last qualifying game, while Hong Kong will face New Zealand on the same day, looking for their first win in the qualification round.
