Robert Hinton was one of the key players for Chinese Taipei in their statement win over Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
Filipino fans trooped to the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in droves to catch Gilas Pilpinas’ opening match against Chinese Taipei in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
And when the ball started rolling, as expected, the passionate Gilas supporters made sure to make their presence felt.
Just ask Chinese Taipei ace and Asia Cup debutant Rob Hinton.
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“They brought the energy. It felt like an away game,” said Hinton in a FIBA report.
But while Gilas had the “homecourt advantage,” it was Chinese Taipei that had the win by way of a 95-87 decision on Wednesday, August 6 (PH time).
Chinese Taipei raced off to a 25-8 start, and Gilas struggled to keep in step the rest of the way.
Behind sparkplugs like Kevin Quiambao and Scottie Thompson, the Nationals tried to stage a comeback but ultimately fell short.
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“Well obviously we didn’t play every good one. Disappointed in the way we played,” said Gilas head coach Tim Cone.
“We got behind early in the game and just played on our heels the whole way. It’s like we’re in panic mode for 40 minutes.”
The crowd being predominantly pro-Gilas only made the Chinese Taipei dub sweeter for the 1/2 of the Hinton twins.
“They packed it out crazy here. That made the win just so much sweeter,” said the animated cager from Harvard, who finished with 14 points.
[ALSO READ: Tim Cone disappointed in Gilas' Asia Cup opening loss: 'Like we’re in panic mode for 40 mins’]