Gilas Pilipinas finally defeated the New Zealand Tall Blacks on the FIBA stage, winning 93-89 on Thursday night at the Mall of Asia Arena, maintaining their perfect record in the 2025 Asia Cup qualifiers.
On Sunday, Gilas will face winless Hong Kong, aiming to secure a spot in the Asia Cup championship, scheduled for August in Saudi Arabia.
Naturalized player Justin Brownlee led all scorers with 26 points, including the final two points via free throws to seal the victory. Brownlee was awarded the last six free throws for Gilas, but missed the middle two. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and recorded four assists.
With 11.1 seconds left in the game, despite New Zealand’s impressive 3-point shooting, the Tall Blacks opted for a drive to the basket. However, 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto blocked a layup attempt by Taylor Britt, preserving the win for Gilas—their first over New Zealand in five contests dating back to 2016. Sotto contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks.
Gilas dominated the boards, out-rebounding New Zealand 44-31, with 16 offensive rebounds to New Zealand’s 8. However, the Tall Blacks made up for the deficit inside by shooting 51.4 percent from beyond the arc, compared to Gilas’ 29.6 percent.
Chris Newsome also contributed, hitting a crucial 3-point shot with 1:10 remaining, extending Gilas’ lead to 91-84. Newsome was also instrumental in slowing down in the fourth quarter New Zealand’s hot-shooting Corey Webster, who only made two points in the last quarter after scoring 23 in the first three quarters.
Thomas Vondanovich narrowed the gap to 91-89 with a layup and a 3-pointer, with 20 seconds still on the clock.
But Brownlee’s last two free throws and Sotto’s defensive effort allowed Gilas to preserve the triumph.
The tightly fought contest saw Gilas and the Tall Blacks tied at 45-45 at half time.
