Gilas Pilipinas’ 60-84 loss in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup is just part of a series of misfortunes that the Filipinos have suffered at the hands of the Australians.

In fact, the last time the Filipinos beat the Aussies in an official International Basketball Federation (FIBA) game was in 1974 – a 101-100 decision in the World Championship for Men in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 8 July.

Philippine Basketball Association legends Robert Jaworski and Ramon Fernandez bannered the squad that also had Abet Guidaben, Francis Arnaiz, Bogs Adornado, Yoyong Martires, Manny Paner, Jimmy Mariano, Joy Cleofas, Tembong Melencio, Alberto Reynoso, and Dave Regullano.

Adornado led the scoring parade with 20 points for the Filipinos, who survived the 39-point explosion of Ed Palubinskas for the Australians.

The Philippines and Australia, however, finished at the bottom of the ranking with a similar 2-5 win-loss slates in the tourney won by Soviet Union with Yugoslavia and the United States settling for silver and bronze medals, respectively.

Since then, the Filipinos have struggled to solve the Australian puzzle.

They suffered back-to-back losses to Australia in the 1978 World Championship for Men at the Smart Araneta Coliseum – a 97-52 decision in the semifinals and a 92-74 scoreline in the classification for seventh place.

The Philippines finished eighth with a 0-8 record while Australia finished seventh with 4-6.

The two squads never met again for the next 40 years until FIBA decided to include countries from Oceania in the FIBA Asia qualifying events and Asia Cup in 2018.

By that time, the Boomers had grown into a basketball powerhouse with their elite players like Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum and Dante Exum competing in the National Basketball Association.

The Australians crushed the Filipinos, 84-68, in the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Melbourne on 22 February 2018 before destroying them anew with an 89-53 decision on 2 July 2018 at the Philippine Arena – a game that was marred with a massive brawl that tarnished the relationship between the two countries.

The Philippines will have a chance to finally beat the Australians when they clash anew in the second window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in March next year.