Gilas Pilipinas defends homecourt, demolishes Chinese Taipei by 53 points

In a stunning display on home soil, Justin Brownlee and Kai Sotto shone brightly as Gilas Pilipinas dominated Chinese Taipei with a resounding 106-53 victory during the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers at the Philsports Arena.

Brownlee, returning to Philippine shores after leading Gilas to gold at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, dazzled with 26 points and 12 rebounds, igniting an unexpected blowout against a traditional rival.

“I have not played in front of a Philippines home crowd in a while. It feels great. Unbelievable energy they came in with. You see all the jerseys and [hear] the non-stop cheering. It just feels great,” said Brownlee.

Meanwhile, Sotto showcased his versatility with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks to propel Gilas to a perfect 2-0 record in Group B alongside New Zealand in the standings.

Coach Tim Cone lauded the team’s relentless effort on both ends of the court for the full duration of the game.

“I really liked the way we worked tonight. We just really worked hard on both sides of the floor and did that for the whole game of 48 minutes,” said Cone.

This commanding victory followed their impressive 94-64 triumph over Hong Kong on the road last Thursday, marking a promising start to Cone’s tenure as head coach of Gilas.

Looking ahead, Gilas will continue their Asia Cup qualifying campaign in November and also participate in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia this July.

During the first quarter, Gilas surged with a 10-point run, establishing a commanding 26-13 lead.

The team extended its dominance in the second quarter with a 16-0 burst, reaching a formidable 42-18 advantage.

In the third quarter, Sotto set up Brownlee for an emphatic dunk, thrilling fans at the Pasig venue. Aguilar also wowed the crowd with his own powerful dunks.

Gilas tallied 30 assists and showcased its defensive prowess by and causing 16 turnovers. Oftana contributed 13 points, while Ramos and Tamayo added 12 and 11 points each.

Thompson facilitated the national team’s offense with nine assists.

The scores:

Philippines 106 – Brownlee 26, Sotto 18, Oftana 13, Ramos 12, Tamayo 11, Quiambao 10, Aguilar 8, Perez 4, Newsome 2, Thompson 2.

Chinese Taipei 53 – Liu 13, Lin 8, Wang 6, Z.R. Hseih 6, Chang 4, Lin C.C. 3, Lin C. 2, Gao 2, Chen 2, Yu 2.

Quarterscores: 26-13, 52-27, 82-41, 106-53.