Justin Brownlee hardly showed signs of rust and quickly reaffirmed his role as the go-to guy of Gilas Pilipinas. The country’s naturalized player engineered a strong finishing kick, paving the way for Gilas to book a 94-64 win over Hong Kong for a rousing debut in the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers 2025 late Thursday at the Tsuen Wan Stadium in Hong Kong.

Brownlee, who was just cleared after a three-month suspension for flunking a drug test following the country’s golden finish in the 19th Asian Games, was all business, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals while leading the Filipinos’ third-quarter onslaught.

With Brownlee at the helm, Gilas dropped a 30-9 run to rip the game wide open and completely demoralize the Hong Kong dribblers. Then, Gilas did a tremendous job in the final 20 minutes as they busted the zone defense of the home team to pull away, 71-46, and seal the victory.

Aside from Brownlee, Kevin Quiambao also showed a lot of promise for Gilas coach Tim Cone. The reigning University Athletic Association of the Philippines Most Valuable Player finished with 15 points in just 17 minutes of action while Kai Sotto was also impressive, registering 13 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks.

Jamie Malonzo, for his part, chipped in 11 markers to underscore the Filipinos’ balanced offensive production.