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Justin Brownlee shoulders the scoring load, but Gilas Pilipinas still falls short of its comeback bid from 18 points down to drop to 0-2 in the FIBA Asia Cup
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas teeters on the brink of an early FIBA Asia Cup exit after a 94-86 loss to New Zealand at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, August 7 (Friday, August 8, Manila time).
Justin Brownlee shouldered the scoring load with 37 points on an ultra-efficient 12-of-19 shooting, but the Philippines shot itself in the foot with costly turnovers and fouls down the stretch as it dropped to 0-2 in Group D.
“We’re disappointed that we lost two in a row. I don’t think we all saw that coming,” said Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone.
Trailing by as many as 18 points, the Filipinos got within 82-85 off a Brownlee three-pointer with under four minutes remaining, but endgame blunders dashed their comeback hopes.
Dwight Ramos threw an errant pass off a timeout then Brownlee committed a shot clock violation in the ensuing possession as the Tall Blacks survived, thanks to timely buckets by Taylor Britt.
Britt scored 6 points inside the final 3:40 minutes and finished with 19 points and 7 assists for New Zealand, which improved to 2-0 to share the Group D lead with fellow unbeaten Chinese Taipei (2-0).
While Britt brought the Kiwis home, it was Jordan Ngatai who set the tone for the Tall Blacks as he scattered 19 of his team-high 22 points in the first two quarters.
Ngatai never missed in the opening half, going 4-of-4 from beyond the arc to help New Zealand mount a commanding 55-41 halftime lead that proved enough to keep the Philippines at bay.
Ramos finished with 19 points in the loss, which put the Filipinos in a must-win situation in their final group-stage match against Iraq (0-2) on Saturday, August 9.
The winner will advance to the crossover playoffs for a quarterfinal berth.
“We’re disappointed but the tournament’s not over for us. We have a big game against Iraq coming up and see if we can get into the next round,” said Cone.
The Scores
New Zealand 94 – Ngatai 22, Britt 19, Cameron 12, King 11, Darling 8, Smith-Milner 8, Gold 6, Davison 5, Andrew 3, Murray 0.
Philippines 86 – Brownlee 37, Ramos 19, Fajardo 11, Newsome 8, Quiambao 5, Tamayo 4, Thompson 2, Oftana 0, Edu 0.
Quarters: 23-18, 55-41, 74-68, 94-86
– Rappler.com
