Gilas Pilipinas look to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive as they take on the host team Saudi Arabia in the FIBA Asia Cup. The Filipinos wound up third in Group C, while the Saudis scored two wins for the no. 2 seed in Group C.
Gilas Pilipinas will look to ride the momentum of their bounce-back win when they face host Saudi Arabia in a high-stakes FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualification match early Tuesday morning (Manila time) at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Tip-off is set for 12:00 a.m., with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals to take on Group A leader and reigning back-to-back champion Australia.
[RELATED STORY: LIVE UPDATES: Gilas Pilipinas target FIBA Asia Cup 2025 quarterfinals vs host Saudi Arabia]
The head coach Tim Cone-led Filipinos are coming off a gritty 66-57 victory over Iraq that salvaged the third seed in Group D after stinging losses to Chinese Taipei and New Zealand.
Dwight Ramos led the way with 21 points, including 10 during a decisive 22-7 third-quarter surge that turned the game in Gilas’ favor.
Naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee had an uncharacteristic offensive slump with just eight points, but contributed across the board with seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the defensive grind.
[ALSO READ: Brownlee values constant support of Filipino fans in FIBA Asia Cup: 'Always great to see’]
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, secured second place in Group C with a 2-1 card. The home squad closed its group campaign with a commanding 84-59 win over India, powered by Mohammed Alsuwailem’s double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds, along with two assists and a block.
The matchup will be the fourth meeting between the two nations in official FIBA play, with Gilas holding a 3-0 advantage — including a group stage win in the World Cup Asian Qualifiers in 2022.
[ASLO READ: AJ Edu motivated as parents witness Gilas-Iraq game: 'Proud to represent my mom's country’]
But in front of a home crowd in Jeddah, the Saudis are expected to be a tougher out as both teams fight to keep their medal hopes alive.
[ALSO READ: Brownlee on Dwight Ramos' stellar play in Gilas' win vs Iraq: ‘We fed off his energy’]
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]