Justin Brownlee erupted for 37 points, but Gilas Pilipinas still stumbled to New Zealand to remain winless in two games in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
It was a case of “almost but not quite” for Gilas Pilipinas.
Gilas showed signature Filipino resiliency as it tried to will itself back from 18 points down, but ultimately fell short against New Zealand, 86-94, in their FIBA Asia Cup match Friday, Aug. 8. (Manila time)
The Nationals thus remained winless in two games while the Tall Blacks joined Chinese Taipei atop Group D with their identical 2-0 cards.
[RELATED STORY: Gilas Pilipinas fall to New Zealand, go 0-2 in Group D of FIBA Asia Cup 2025]
Down by 14 points at the break, Gilas rediscovered its form, and before the Filipinos knew it, they were only down three, 82-85, after Justin Brownlee’s triple with 3:47 left to play.
But Taylor Britt refused to give the Filipino dribblers an inch since then.
The pint-sized guard scored six of the last nine points for the Tall Blacks, capped by a lefty layup off a euro step for a 92-84 lead.
[WATCH: Gilas stays winless after comeback falls short vs New Zealand | FIBA Asia Cup Highlights]
Brownlee, who paced Gilas with 37 points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal, tipped his hat off to Asia’s No. 3 team.
“Tough loss for us. I've got to give New Zealand a lot of credit. They came out the first half, played extremely well, and hit some threes on us,” the naturalized Filipino said.
Justin Brownlee reacts during Gilas Pilipinas' match against New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025. | Photo (c) FIBA
The Tall Blacks built on a strong second quarter that saw them outscore the Philippines, 32-23, for a 55-41 lead at halftime.
Jordan Ngatai fired three of his five triples in the frame to set the tone for New Zealand.
Ngatai wound up with 22 points on a perfect shooting from deep. He also had two points and three assists.
Britt fired 19 points to go with seven assists, while Flynn Cameron had 12 points, two rebounds and two assists.
“We fought back. I've got to give them a lot of credit. I still like the fight in our guys,” said Brownlee.
Dwight Ramos added 19 points, four rebounds and three steals for the Philippines, while June Mar Fajardo made up for his subpar outing against Chinese Taipei with 11 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
[RELATED STORY: Ross defends SMB teammate Fajardo after subpar showing in Gilas’ loss to Chinese Taipei]