— GAME REPLAY —
Late Rally Falls Short for Gilas Pilipinas
Gilas Pilipinas suffered its first defeat in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers, falling to Chinese Taipei, 91-84, in front of a packed crowd at the Taipei Heiping Basketball Gymnasium. Despite a strong fourth-quarter rally, the Philippines couldn’t hold on in the closing minutes, allowing the home team to secure its first win over Gilas in nearly a decade.
Thrilling Comeback Effort
Trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Gilas mounted a comeback, briefly taking the lead on a clutch three-pointer by Justine Brownlee, making it 80-79 with under four minutes left. However, Chinese Taipei responded with a decisive 12-4 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Ting-Chien Lin and Chun Hsiang Lu. Brandon Gilbeck sealed the victory with a powerful dunk in the final 17 seconds.
Coach Tim Cone’s Take
Gilas coach Tim Cone praised Chinese Taipei for their composure and resilience:
“We made a couple of runs at them hoping that they would crack, but they never did. They kept their composure and kept making big shots. Very impressive win by them. They were well deserving.”
Standout Performances
- Justine Brownlee led all scorers with an outstanding 39 points, hitting 8-of-11 from three-point range, along with six rebounds and eight assists.
- Dwight Ramos contributed 15 points, while AJ Edu added 10 points and six rebounds for Gilas.
- Chinese Taipei’s Lin and Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga led their team with 21 points each, while Lu chipped in 18 points, combining for 11 of the team’s 15 three-pointers.
- Brandon Gilbeck, Chinese Taipei’s 7-foot naturalized center, finished with eight points and eight rebounds on near-perfect shooting.
Current Standings and Next Games
- Gilas Pilipinas (4-1) is now tied with New Zealand at the top of Group B.
- Chinese Taipei (2-3) remains in contention for a FIBA Asia Cup berth via the final qualifying tournament.
- Both Gilas and New Zealand have already qualified for the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this August.
Upcoming Matches:
- Gilas Pilipinas will face New Zealand in Auckland on Sunday.
- Chinese Taipei will play Hong Kong on the road.
Despite the loss, Gilas remains on track for the tournament, but they will need to regroup quickly for their next tough matchup against New Zealand.