MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas returns home empty-handed from its trip Down Under.
Without naturalized star Justin Brownlee, the Philippines ended the first round of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers with a fourth straight defeat following a 92-49 beating from host Australia at the RAC Arena in Perth on Monday, July 6.
No player scored in double figures as the Filipinos fell to 2-4 to finish third in Group A, which the Boomers topped with a perfect 6-0 record.
June Mar Fajardo produced 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, while Mike Phillips put up 6 points and 12 rebounds to show the way for Gilas in the absence of Brownlee, who sat the game out due to a string of injuries.
Dwight Ramos and Kevin Quiambao contributed 9 and 8 points, respectively, in the loss as the Philippines went winless in the second and third windows, dropping all of its home and away matches against Australia and New Zealand.
Naturalized guard Bryce Cotton fired 21 points to power Australia, pouring 13 points in the first quarter alone to help the Boomers race to a commanding 33-14 lead.
A Quiambao three-pointer knotted the score at 8-8 early before the Boomers broke away, ending the opening period on a 25-6 run led by the former NBA player, who went 5-of-5 from the field, including 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, during the stretch.
Gilas outscored Australia 13-8 in the second frame to enter the break trailing 27-41, but the Boomers opened the floodgates in the last two quarters en route to another dominant victory.
Tyrese Proctor backstopped Cotton with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, Mitch Creek chimed in 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks, while Josh Bannan produced an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Unable to accomplish its goal of winning at least one of its two third-window games after also absorbing a double overtime loss to New Zealand in Auckland on Friday, July 3, the Philippines heads into the second round with its World Cup aspirations in a bind.
Gilas, along with Australia (6-0) and New Zealand (4-2), will cross over with Group C squads Iran (5-1), Jordan (5-1), and Syria (2-4) in a newly formed Group E.
To qualify for the World Cup in 2027, the Philippines needs to finish within the top three of Group E or end up as the best fourth-placed team. – Rappler.com