Gilas Pilipinas are eager to enter the win column after succumbing to Chinese Taipei in their opening assignment in Group D play of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
Final
- Gilas Pilipinas drop to 0-2 in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 after losing to New Zealand, 86-94.
[RELATED STORY: Gilas Pilipinas fall to New Zealand, go 0-2 in Group D of FIBA Asia Cup 2025]
Third Quarter
- Things looked up for Gilas in the third period when it employed a zone defense after being down by as many as 18 points.
- The Filipino dribblers trimmed the gap to as low as four, 66-70.
- Behind Justin Brownlee, Dwight Ramos and June Mar Fajardo, Gilas outscored New Zealand in the frame, 27-19.
- Gilas remains at the backseat, 68-74, at the end of the third period.
Second Quarter
- New Zealand heated up from the three-point area, with Jordan Ngatai knocking down back-to-back shots from that range to give the Kiwis a 35-26 advantage which ballooned to as many as 18, 55-37.
- Justin Brownlee is the sole Gilas player in double figures with 19 points in the first 20 minutes of action
- Gilas is still behind New Zealand, 41-55, at the end of the first half
First Quarter
- Gilas Pilipinas raced off to a 6-0 start
- June Mar Fajardo, who had a dismal outing against Chinese Taipei, imposed his might right away and scored the first basket for the Philippines
Justin Brownlee and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas are ready for battle against world No. 22 New Zealand. | Photo (c) FIBA
- The Tall Blacks dropped six straight points entering the final minute, but the Nationals retaliated with four
- Gilas trails New Zealand at the end of the frame, 18-23
[WATCH: LIVE CHAT: Gilas Pilipinas vs New Zealand | FIBA Asia Cup 2025]
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Gilas Pilipinas are chasing win No. 1 as they collide with New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Aug. 7.
After their sorry 87-95 loss to Chinese Taipei, the Nationals are hell-bent on chalking up a victory to improve their chances of making the second round.
But doing it at the expense of the world No. 22 Kiwis would not be an easy task.
For live updates on the Gilas-New Zealand match, refresh this page.
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