Game Sunday:

(MOA Arena)

7:30 p.m. --- Gilas Pilipinas vs Hong Kong

Gilas Pilipinas banked on Chris Newsome’s clutch plays in the closing stretch to beat New Zealand, 93-89, in the second window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers Thursday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Newsome drained a crucial triple with 1:09 left to give the host squad a six-point separation after squandering a double-digit lead at the start of the payoff period before making a huge defensive stop as Gilas remained unscathed in Group B after three outings.

“It was a tough one. They are good. They are really good. They are incredibly physical. I think that was the No. 1 thing they have to battle through,” Gilas head coach Tim Cone said after putting a dent in the Kiwis' erstwhile undefeated record.

“To overcome that and find a way to win was really special.”

Justin Brownlee led Gilas to its first win over the Tall Blacks after five meetings in a FIBA-sanctioned event in eight years with a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds.

The naturalized player shot 8-of-13 from the field and was steady at the foul line, knocking down three foul shots in the last 22 seconds of the ballgame to stave off the last-ditched rally mounted by New Zealand.

Seven-foot-3 center Kai Sotto also played a monster game with 18 markers including a bevy of highlight dunks and pulled down 10 boards on top of seven assists, two blocks and two steals in an all-around contribution for Gilas.

Scottie Thompson in his return after missing the national team’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia last July due to a recurring back issue made an immediate impact with 12 points and six assists while Dwight Ramos and Newsome added 11 markers each.

Gilas came out of the dugout in the second half smoking on all cylinders as it uncorked a telling 16-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a 72-60 lead after Carl Tamayo’s basket with 43 ticks left in the third period.       

The host squad built its biggest gap at 74-63 with 9:01 left in the game following a pair of charities by Brownlee.

New Zealand refused to go away and slowly chipped away Gilas lead, closing the gap to just two, 86-84, after Sam Waardenburg scored off a drive.

Brownlee answered with a split from the line before Newsome drilled a dagger three. He then disrupted the next possession of the Tall Blacks to eat away precious seconds.

Thomas Vodanovich tried to will New Zealand back with a couple of treys but came a little too late as Brownlee iced the victory with two more foul shots in the last 11.1 seconds of the game.

Gilas can secure a ticket to the main draw in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in August next year with another victory over first window victim Hong Kong on Sunday.

Corey Webster scored 25 points while Vodanovich and Waardenburg added 19 markers each for the world No. 22-ranked Tall Blacks, who waxed-hot from the outside with 18 three-pointers.             

Gilas Pilipinas overhauled a 4-13 first quarter deficit following a slow start with a strong second period showing led by Thomspon and Brownlee.

Thompson scored all of his nine points in the second canto including a go-ahead layup followed by a trey to give Gilas a 35-31 advantage.

The Tall Blacks got back in front with five unanswered points before Sotto regained the lead for Gilas, 37-36, with 3:54 left off a two-handed slamdunk from a no-look dish by Ramos.

Gilas and New Zealand traded threes in the ensuing plays. Ramos pushed Gilas’ lead to 45-42 only for Thomas Vodanovich to knot the game at 45 with a triple entering the half.

The Kiwis shot 10-of-20 from the three-point area while the Filipinos controlled the game down low with 24 points in the paint in the first half.

The scores:

GILAS (93) --- Brownlee 26, Sotto 19, Thompson 12, Newsome 11, Ramos 11, Fajardo 6, Perez 3, Oftana 3, Tamayo 2, Aguilar 0.

NEW ZEALAND (89) --- Webster 25, Vodanovich 19, Waardenburg 19, Britt 8, Le’efa 6, Brown 5, Harris 3, Cameron 2, Harrison 2.

Quarters: 20-22, 45-45, 72-63, 93-89.