Kevin Quiambao drew admiration from Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone with the way he stepped up big time in an all-important victory over host Saudi Arabia in the qualifying round for a quarterfinal slot in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah.

The youngest player in Cone’s roster displayed incredible confidence, composure and maturity beyond his years to help Gilas pull off a 95-88 overtime win over the Saudis in front of a sea of green-clad home crowd early Tuesday (Manila time) at the King Abdullah Sports City.

Quiambao, 24, drained a pair of three-pointers in a decisive 11-2 run to open the extra period that gave Gilas a nine-point margin with two minutes left.

It was enough separation to cushion Saudi Arabia’s comeback attempt as the Filipinos got through to the Last Eight to face defending champion Australia.

“Well, you know, Kevin is not afraid of the moment. I think that's the best way to describe Kevin. He is, you know, nothing's too big for him and he'll play big,” Cone said of the De La Salle University product.

The 6-foot-5 forward finished with 17 points off 6-of-12 shooting from the field including three three-pointers, in almost 32 minutes of action.

“He'll play the same way whether he's playing here in the Asia Cup or if he's playing in the bottom guy league. You know, he's just got that kind of personality. He's going to bring it all the time, and he's not going to be afraid to step up and take the big shot when it's presented to him,” Cone said.

“And that's not always the case with a lot of players, and that's what makes him special. And, you know, we're still learning a lot about Kevin because he is the young gun on the team. You know, he's I think the youngest player. I'm not sure either him or Carl (Tamayo), but they're both the same age, and he's our youngest player.”