Gilas Pilipinas Falters Late as New Zealand Hands Second Straight Defeat

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by Lou Reyes

Gilas Pilipinas forward Justin Brownlee (32) shoots over New Zealand's Max Darling. Photo: FIBA.

Gilas Pilipinas’ spirited rally fell just short as New Zealand held on for a 94-86 victory in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 group stage Friday morning at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Filipinos, still reeling from their opening-day loss to Chinese Taipei, found themselves in another deep hole—trailing by as many as 18 in the first half. But with Justin Brownlee leading the charge, Gilas mounted a fierce fightback that had the Tall Blacks on their heels.

Brownlee, in a dazzling offensive display, poured in 37 points on an efficient 12-of-17 shooting, including seven three-pointers. His triple midway through the fourth quarter cut New Zealand’s lead to just 85-82, igniting hopes of a comeback. But Tall Blacks guard Taylor Britt answered with consecutive baskets, swinging the momentum back to his side and effectively sealing the outcome.

Britt finished with 19 points, while Jordan Ngatai led New Zealand with 22—going a flawless 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. The Kiwis, now 2-0 in Group D, hit 13 of their 26 three-point attempts (50%) and dominated the glass with a 41-33 rebounding advantage.

Dwight Ramos provided steady support for Brownlee, contributing 19 points on an 8-of-17 clip. June Mar Fajardo also bounced back from a quiet opener, tallying 11 points and four rebounds, while AJ Edu started alongside him in the frontcourt. However, the Filipinos once again struggled to match their opponent’s energy in the early stages, falling behind 55-37 late in the second quarter after New Zealand drilled nine triples in the first half alone.

Gilas Pilipinas star Dwight Ramos shoots over two New Zealand players. Photo: FIBA.

Gilas won the third quarter 27-19, trimming the deficit to six entering the final frame. Still, every time they threatened, the Tall Blacks responded with timely baskets or defensive stops.

With the loss, the Philippines dropped to 0-2 in Group D and faces a must-win situation against Iraq—also winless—on Sunday. The winner will claim third place in the group and move on to the qualification round for the quarterfinals.

New Zealand, meanwhile, will battle fellow unbeaten Chinese Taipei for the top spot and an automatic quarterfinal berth.

For Gilas, the challenge is clear: start stronger, defend the perimeter better, and sustain energy for all four quarters—or risk seeing their Asia Cup hopes fade early.

The scores:

New Zealand (94) – Ngatai 22, Britt 19, Cameron 12, King 11, Darling 8, Smith-Milner 8, Gold 6, Davison 5, Andrew 3, Murray 0.

Philippines (86) – Brownlee 37, Ramos 19, Fajardo 11, Newsome 8, Quiambao 5, Tamayo 4, Thompson 2, Oftana 0, Edu 0.

Quarterscores: 23-18; 55-41; 74-68; 94-86.