Gilas Pilipinas have dropped their first two games in the group stage of the FIBA Asia Cup. Now they find themselves in a do-or-die situation against Iraq in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
FINAL
- Gilas Pilipinas survive a late surge from Iraq for a 66-57 win in their FIBA Asia Cup match.
- The Nationals thus move to the qualification to the quarterfinals against either Jordan or host Saudi Arabia.
[RELATED STORY: Dwight Ramos stars as Gilas breaks through vs Iraq, keeps QF hopes alive in FIBA Asia Cup]
FOURTH QUARTER
- Down by as many as 18 points in the third quarter, Iraq refuses to fold and starts the fourth with a 10-2 tear to trim the gap to seven, 50-57.
- Calvin Oftana and Brownlee restored order for Gilas with five straight points.
- The Nationals keep the Iraqis at bay until the final buzzer.
- Dwight Ramos leads Gilas with 21 points.
THIRD QUARTER
- Gilas is scoreless entering the first 3:14 of the period.
- Ramos waxes hot, sinking back-to-back triples to wind up with 10 points in the second period.
- Gilas outscores Iraq in the quarter, 22-7.
- Gilas takes a comfortable 55-40 lead at the end of the frame.
SECOND QUARTER
- Gilas Pilipinas erase a six-point deficit and even take the lead a couple of times.
- Save for a couple of misses from Justin Brownlee towards the end, the Nationals are connecting from the three-point area, with Dwight Ramos' shot from that range tying the count at 33-all at the end of the first half.
- Gilas makes four of their five three-pointers in the second period.
- Dwight Ramos leads the Filipino dribblers with nine points while Carl Tamayo and AJ Edu combine for 11 in the first 20 minutes of action.
- June Mar Fajardo has four points and six rebounds in a little more than 11 minutes of play.
- Justin Brownlee coughs up just a solitary point against two rebounds and an assist as he sees action for nearly 16 minutes.
- Calvin Oftana and Scottie Thompson are scoreless but combine for five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
FIRST QUARTER
- Gilas endures another slow start as Iraq races to an 18-12 lead.
- Points are coming from the frontline, with AJ Edu (five points) and June Mar Fajardo (four points) leading the way so far.
- Ali Ismael already with 10 points for Iraq.
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Gilas Pilipinas' FIBA Asia Cup campaign is in limbo.
This as the Nationals absorbed back-to-back losses against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand in Group D of the continental meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
[RELATED STORY: Brownlee on loss to New Zealand in Asia Cup: 'I still like the fight in our guys’]
The Filipino hoopers did show some resilience after coming back from 18 points down vs. New Zealand, but they simply didn't have enough to nab a win from the Tall Blacks last time out.
But this shouldn't dampen their spirits.
After all, there's still a path for Gilas Pilipinas to get to the quarterfinals, albeit just tougher.
[ALSO READ: Dwight Ramos credits Pinoy fans in Gilas' 2nd half surge vs New Zealand in FIBA Asia Cup]
First, Gilas must beat Iraq on Saturday, August 9 in a do-or-die game at the King Abdullah Sports City for the third seed in Group D.
The match is set at 4:00 p.m. (Manila time).
[ALSO READ: Though surprised at 0-2 FIBA Asia Cup skid, Tim Cone says 'tournament's not over' for Gilas]
A win will pit the Filipinos against the no. 2 team of Group C, which could either be the host Saudi Arabia or Jordan.
Gilas head coach Tim Cone remained confident his team can pull this one off, provided they address the mental aspect that has spelled doom for them in the first two games.
[ALSO READ: Tim Cone, Gilas focus on mental adjustments after dropping to 0-2 in FIBA Asia Cup]
For live updates on the Gilas-Iraq match, refresh this page.