Philippines vs New Zealand [2025 FIBA Asia Cup | Aug. 7 | 11:00pm| Jeddah, KSA]

Reeling from a surprising defeat at the hands of Chinese Taipei, Gilas Pilipinas is determined to regroup and forge ahead as it gears up for a crucial clash against New Zealand in the 31st FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Filipinos face a formidable challenge in the 11:00 p.m. game on Thursday (Manila time) against their world No. 22 ranked rivals, who made a resounding entrance into the continental tournament with a commanding 100-78 victory over Iraq.

In stark contrast, the Philippines succumbed to a disappointing setback against Chinese Taipei, falling 95-87 at the King Abdullah Sports Center.

Despite the frustration surrounding the result, Gilas coach Tim Cone expressed confidence in his team’s resilience, emphasizing their readiness to tackle the challenges ahead.

A triumphant victory in this match would keep Gilas in contention for an outright quarterfinal berth. Conversely, a loss would necessitate a win over Iraq in their final group stage game to have a chance at advancing to the playoffs.

Historically, the Philippines has triumphed over New Zealand once in their FIBA-sanctioned encounters, securing a 93-89 win at the Mall of Asia Arena during the Asia Cup qualifiers last November. However, New Zealand swiftly retaliated, delivering an 87-70 defeat to Gilas at Spark Arena in Auckland six months later, during the final stages of qualification.

Although veteran Corey Webster is absent for New Zealand this time around, familiar faces such as Taylor Britt, Tohi Smith-Milner, team captain Jordan Ngatai, and Max Darling are back for another campaign with the squad.

Despite their emphatic 22-point victory over Iraq, the Tall Blacks faced challenges in the first half, only seizing control of the game after halftime.

New Zealand claimed the bronze medal in the previous edition of the tournament, held in Jakarta, Indonesia three years ago.