Game today:

(RAC Arena)

6:30 p.m. — Australia vs Philippines

Gilas Pilipinas aims to flip the script against an Australian side it has not beaten in over half a century.

Desperate to end a three-game slide, the Philippines visits Perth with hopes of pulling off an upset over the undefeated host Boomers in its final road game in the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

Gilas fans are expected to flock to the RAC Arena to show their support in the 6:30 p.m. match, which has huge implications for the Filipino cagers’ goal of a fourth straight trip to basketball’s biggest stage next year.

Head coach Tim Cone and his crew have seen the collective disappointment of their supporters in a couple of failed homestands five months ago in the second window.

It was the same inside the sold out Spark Arena in Auckland three days ago with a stinging 102-106 double-overtime loss to New Zealand.

Cone is tired of moral victories.

Gilas is already in a precarious position with a 2-3 win-loss record behind the Tall Blacks (3-2) and the Boomers (5-0).

It’s time to get an all-important win or risk heading into the second round scrambling for a sweep against the taller and highly physical Middle Eastern teams just to earn a ticket to Doha.

The Nationals need a victory for their mission and the fans.

“I don’t think any other national team in the world really has that kind of following. And so — and that, you know, that makes it even tougher when we don’t deliver for them,” Cone said about the unwavering support of Filipino fans rooting for Gilas to leave the arena with a win each time.

“Obviously, we played with a lot of pride, and I think they’ll take pride in what we played. But the bottom line is, we’ve got to win games for them. They’re there and because they give us so much support, when we do fail, it’s a lot harder to take as a group.”

But beating the Australians on their home turf is a daunting task. Winning against the Boomers, in general, has been quite a challenge for the Philippines.

In fact, Gilas has yet to beat the cagers from Down Under since posting a close-shaved 101-100 win in the FIBA World Cup in Puerto Rico in 1974.

Compounding the uphill climb for Gilas is the fact that it got clobbered by the Aussies, 66-93, on 1 March to close the second window at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Add to that Australia’s 72-point blowout of Guam, 124-52, last Friday where it connected a World Cup Qualifier record of 24 three-pointers, and Gilas is in for a tough grind.

Gilas will also have to find a way to get Justin Brownlee going.

The naturalized player was limited to just five points on a 2-of-3 field goal shooting. He went scoreless in regulation, buying just one basket each in the two extensions.

“As much as possible, we need to help JB (Brownlee),” said Kevin Quiambao, who, along with fellow youngbloods Juan Gomez de Liaño, Carl Tamayo and Dwight Ramos carried much of the scoring load.

“I mean, he is very tired mentally and physically and then we are just doing our job as players.”

Defensively, Gilas must find a way to stop Tyrese Proctor from getting open looks from beyond the arc.

The Cleveland Cavaliers player, who did not play in the second window, nailed six triples in the Boomers’ previous outing. Gilas will also need to take care of other shooters in Angus Glover, Bryce Cotton, Jack McVeigh and Reyne Smith, who all drained more than three three-pointers.

Another Gilas loss will put the team in a must-win situation in the carryover second round starting August against Iran, Jordan and Syria.

Only the top three teams and the best fourth-placed squads will enter the main draw.

As it is, Gilas has a steep mountain to scale, and the team has to start now.