Gilas Pilipinas didn’t get the result it desperately wanted in Auckland.

However, Gilas head coach Tim Cone liked what he saw from his young players, which he thought was a good sign moving forward.

Cone lauded his young players for holding their own against the might of New Zealand and the pressure of a high-stakes game despite a stinging 102-106 double-overtime loss in the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifier on Friday at the Spark Arena.

With naturalized player Justin Brownlee having a rough night, it was the likes of Juan Gomez de Liaño, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos and Carl Tamayo who stepped up on offense to give the Tall Blacks a serious scare.

Cone saw fire in his youngbloods the whole game and kept them longer on the floor — including long stretches without the struggling Brownlee.

It may not have translated into a win to snap Gilas’ three-game losing skid and fifth straight defeat to the Kiwis but Cone at least saw progress.

The decorated mentor couldn’t help but be in awe of the Gilas’ development over the past years under his guidance.

“Well, yeah, that’s how you evolve a team, right?” Cone said.

“You try to win with your veterans and you develop your young guys. And our young guys have been developing over the last year and a half, two years, and every time they’ve come into a window they’ve gotten better.”

Gomez de Liaño, a late replacement for injured veteran guard Scottie Thompson, delivered the gutsiest plays after forcing the first overtime and almost winning it in the initial extension.

Quiambao, Ramos and Tamayo did their parts well alongside other young support crew in RJ Abarrientos, AJ Edu and newcomer Mike Phillips.

“When we first got them on the team, they were like 21 years old; now they’re 24, 25. So, they have evolved along with the team,” Cone added.

The tactician praised his young players’ maturity beyond their years and their development into vital cogs for the national team faster than Cone expected.

“So that was the vision from the very beginning when we put this team together, that they at one point would be the main guys. And it may be coming a little more quickly than we thought, but they are certainly stepping up and playing at a much higher level than they were when they were first on the team,” he said.

Gomez de Liaño and Quiambao finished with 23 points each and combined for seven of Gilas’ 12 triples.

The Converge guard Gomez De Liaño went 9-of-15 from the field with six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Quiambao had a 9-of-16 field goal shooting and filled the stats box with three boards, two dishes, one steal and one block.

Ramos had 18 markers, Tamayo scored 17 and Abarrientos finished with six points, 10 assists and five rebounds for the Philippines. Phillips had two points, three rebounds, and one steal, and contributed the intangibles for the Philippines.

“So, we’re real proud of those young guys for continuing to improve. They both play in Korea, KQ and Carl. So, they make a lot of improvements there, and Juan is becoming one of the premier point guards in our league back in Manila,” Cone said.

“So again, they have great, great futures ahead of them.”

Gomez de Liaño nailed a game-tying triple with 11.9 seconds left in regulation for an 83-83 count to force the first overtime. He drilled another trey in the closing seconds of the first extension to give Gilas a 93-91 lead before New Zealand tied it from the line to drag the game into a second overtime.

However, the University of the Philippines product fumbled on a crucial play late in the tight second extension when his inbound pass intended for Brownlee was intercepted, resulting in the Tall Blacks getting free throws and an extra possession to put the game away.

Despite the loss that pulled the second round-bound Gilas to third spot in Group A with a 2-3 record, Cone remained in high spirits heading into the final road swing of the squad with the performance shown by his youngsters.

Gilas will face unbeaten Australia (5-0) tomorrow in Perth.

“They’re evolving as players and we’re evolving as a team. And that’s what you want in a basketball team,” he said.

“You don’t want to stand still, and you want to keep moving forward. And these young guys are developing and helping us move forward.”