THON Maker of Australia unleashes a flying kick on a member of Gilas Pilipinas in a fight that broke during the third quarter of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. The Australians prevailed, 89-53. ROMAN PROSPERO BRAWLERS AND HOOLIGANISM

BOCAUE, Bulacan — The battle for the top spot turned into a battle for survival as loads of punches and kicks were thrown before Australia escaped with a 53-89 victory over Gilas Pilipinas in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier late Monday at the Philippine Arena here.

Chris Goulding sparked an early onslaught as the Australians erected their biggest lead at 31, 79-48, before an ugly brawl halted the match after all but three players of Gilas Pilipinas were ejected with only 4:01 left in the third period.

Prime movers of the brawl in Terrence Romeo, Carl Bryan Cruz, Jayson Castro, Japeth Aguilar, Calvin Abueva, Andray Blatche, RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Matthew Wright were all thrown out while Gabe Norwood and Junemar Fajardo opted to pick up their fifth fouls to stop the match and automatically award the victory to the visiting side.

Daniel Kickert, Thon Maker, Nathan Sobey and Goulding were ejected on the Australian squad.

But it appears that the brawl was inevitable.

Prior to tip-off, bad blood was already simmering between these two countries.

In fact, in a closed-door training Sunday afternoon, the Australians ripped off the stickers of sponsors placed on the hardcourt without asking permission from FIBA or the local organizer – the Samahang Basketbol sa Pilipinas (SBP).

This development sparked controversy as the federation, led by chairman emeritus Manny Pangilinan and president Al Panlilio, blasted the Aussies, saying that what they did was an utter disrespect to the home team.

Although the Australians, through Boomers team manager Mark Bradtke, issued an apology, the incident still left a bitter taste in the mouth of Filipinos, who are looking for an important win to grab the top spot in Group B entering the next round against heavyweights like Iran, Qatar and Kazakhstan.

The simmering tension completely exploded when a driving Pogoy threw a couple of shoves that knocked down Goulding, sparking an all-out melee under Gilas Pilipinas basket with Australia ahead by 31, 79-48, only 4:01 left in the third period.

At one point, Jason Castro was seen jumping to plant a punch on the kisser of 7-foot-1 Thon Maker while a Filipino fan was seen hurling a metal chair on Nathan Sobey, an episode that reminds sideliners of the nasty brawl in the NBA involving players of the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers in 2014.

After the skirmish was broken and the penalties were being assessed, Filipino cagers led by injured Marc Pingris were seen taking a “selfie” at centercourt, an embarrassing image that didn’t sit well with Australian Andrew Bogut, the NBA stalwart who serves as the face of the Boomers in international play.