Justin Brownlee fired 29 points and Gilas Pilipinas beat Saudi Arabia in overtime, booking a FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals showdown against Australia.
When push comes to shove, Gilas Pilipinas can count on Justin Brownlee to deliver.
That was exactly the case Tuesday morning, August 12 (PH time), as the beloved naturalized Filipino whipped up some “Never Say Die” magic en route to a rousing 95-88 overtime win over Saudi Arabia in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
[Related: Justin Brownlee, Gilas Pilipinas survive Saudi Arabia in FIBA Asia Cup 2025 knockout game]
With this great escape, Gilas set up a quarterfinals clash against regional powerhouse and reigning back-to-back champion Australia.
Down 71-77 with 1:33 left in regulation, Brownlee willed Gilas back from the grave and scored six of the team’s next eight points.
His last field goal was an in-your-face three-pointer against Marzouq Almuwallad that sent the game into overtime.
The rest of Gilas put the finishing touches after that, with Kevin Quiambao sinking two three-pointers, AJ Edu swishing one from long range, and Chris Newsome canning two free throws for the win.
Brownlee finished with 29 points, four rebounds, and five assists as he added another classic showing playing for the Philippines.
Edu turned in 17 points and 11 rebounds, which he spiked with four assists and a block. Quiambao had 17 points built on three triples to go with four three assists and three steals.
Dwight Ramos also continued to be a steady presence with an impressive double-double output of 13 points and 10 rebounds. He also had three assists and a block to his name.
“Coach [Tim Cone] drew the play and you know the team got a lot of confidence in me and of course I got a lot of confidence in them,” Brownlee said after the match at the King Abdullah Sports City.
“The shot, it was just there, and I just tried to take the opportunity and just tried to make the best of it.”
Gilas actually started strong, leading by as many as 10 points in the opening period after making an early adjustment of putting Quiambao for June Mar Fajardo.
Consequently, the Nationals connected from long range, hitting four triples including one from Dwight Ramos that gave the team a 23-13 buffer with 1:13 left in the first.
However, the three-point shot abandoned them in the next three quarters, or until Brownlee made the one with 3.7 ticks to send the game into overtime.
After relying heavily on Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman and Mohammed Alsuwailem for most of the match, the duo got limited in extra time.
Still, Abdur-Rahkman paced the host team with 33 points, built on eight three-pointers. He also had five rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
Alsuwailem dominated the paint ans finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks in the losing effort.