A semifinal spot is on the line as Gilas Pilipinas eye a major upset against the three-peat seeking Australia Boomers in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 clash.
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone knew that a run to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 title would eventually mean facing the two-time defending champion Australia.
That challenge has come sooner than expected.
“We didn’t expect to play them this early in the tournament. But we figured that if we’re going to do something special in this tournament, we have to go through Australia at some point,” Cone reiterated after the Philippines’ 95-89 overtime victory over Saudi Arabi to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
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It took Gilas Pilipinas a gripping 45-minute battle to clinch a spot in the final eight, with Justin Brownlee weaving his end-game magic once again by hitting the clutch triple that forced overtime.
The 37-year-old finished with 29 points, five assists and four rebounds in nearly 41 minutes of play.
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Meanwhile, Kevin Quiambao and AJ Edu added 17 markers each as the Philippines returned to the quarterfinals after failing to reach the same stage in 2022.
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Now, the daunting task of trying to stop the three-peat-seeking Aussie side falls on the shoulders of the underdog Gilas team.
“So it’s here in front of us, we’re going to do our best, and get at them,” Cone said.
The Philippines started the tournament losing its first two games, against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand, before a crucial win against Iraq kept the team’s title hopes alive.
After their latest victory over the host Saudi Arabia, Gilas Pilipinas are now 2-2 in their four games in Jeddah, all decided by 10 points or less.
Meanwhile, it’s a different story for the Boomers — who topped Group A with a flawless 3-0 win-loss record and an average winning margin of 25.7 points.
Since joining the tournament in 2017, Australia has amassed a perfect 15-0 win-loss record en route to back-to-back titles.
Cone is also hoping that their last two wins can provide the team with the much-needed belief to upset the Boomers later at 7:00 p.m. (PH time). The winner of that game will face the victor of the Iran-Chinese Taipei quarterfinal clash.
“I’ve never coached against Australia before, so this will be my first time. I’m excited about it. We know they are pretty much the no. 1 seed in the tournament, and for us to beat them, it’s going to be an upset,” Cone admitted.
“But winning this game tonight, beating Iraq, and winning this game the way we did has given us some momentum. So hopefully we can carry that into the game against Australia,” he added.
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