Kevin Quiambao was among the few bright spots for Gilas Pilipinas in their opening setback to Chinese Taipei in Group D action of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
Kevin Quiambao was born ready.
Quiambao proved just that despite Gilas Pilipinas’ 87-95 loss to Chinese Taipei in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 opener Wednesday, Aug. 6 (Manila time).
“Lagi ko lang sinasabi sa sarili kong 'stay-ready mentality.' 'Yong trust ni coach Tim (Cone) sa akin, nandoon, so kailangan kong suklian kung ano ang ibinibigay niya sa akin,” the former La Salle winger, who finished with 17 points, told One Sports’ Carlo Pamintuan.
[ALSO READ: Cone disappointed in Gilas' Asia Cup opening loss: 'Like we’re in panic mode for 40 mins']
After riding the bench in the first two quarters, Quiambao got the call-up in hopes of making a difference for Gilas, who were trailing by double digits.
He made an impact right away, especially in the fourth period where the Nationals tried to stage an uprising.
The Goyang Sono Skygunners import in the Korean Basketball League dropped 13 points in the final frame, capped by a pull-up jumper in the 57.3 mark to help Gilas stay within striking distance, 83-90.
But Chinese Taipei — led by Ying-Chin Chen’s 34 points and reinforced by Hinton twins Robert and Adam — did just enough to keep the Filipinos at bay until the final buzzer.
Quiambao finished with 17 points on a 6-for-10 clip he laced with four rebounds and two assists in just more than 16 minutes of play.
[RELATED STORY: Tim Cone sees bigger roles for Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo for Gilas Pilipinas]
As stinging as the loss was, Quiambao and Gilas are putting this behind them in preparation for the New Zealand game Thursday, Aug. 7.
Tipoff is at 11 p.m. (Manila time)
“I think dapat 'yong mentality na 'It's us versus us’, dahil ang kalaban namin dito is 'yong mga sarili namin,” Quiambao said.
“So kailangan lang naming i-overcome ang situation na 'yon para makaalis kami sa situation na ito na medyo minamalas."