Gilas Pilipinas suffered a setback in their rematch against New Zealand, extending their losing streak after an undefeated 4-0 start in the Asia Cup Qualifiers. The 70-87 loss to the Tall Blacks also cost them the top seed in Group B.
This defeat leaves Gilas in a less favorable position heading into the Asia Cup Championship, scheduled for August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A top seed would have allowed them to avoid facing other top teams early in the championship round.
Naturalized player Justin Brownlee was heavily guarded, with the Tall Blacks holding him to just 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting. In a rare showing of struggle, Brownlee missed both of his attempts from beyond the arc after playing 34 minutes.
As a team, Gilas made just 6 of 29 attempts from 3-point range, while the Tall Blacks shot 13 of 39 from deep—a 21-point advantage over Gilas.
Chris Newsome led Gilas with 13 points, while Junemar Fajardo contributed 11.
Gilas had previously lost to Chinese Taipei, finishing the qualifiers with a 4-2 record and securing second seed.
