Gilas Pilipinas finally notched its first win in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as Dwight Ramos led a third quarter uprising that allowed the Filipinos to repulse Iraq, 66-57, on Saturday afternoon.
The breakthrough win, on the heels of losses to Chinese Taipei and New Zealand, had its own tense moments, particularly in the first half, when Gilas once again struggled for the most part. Iraq, in fact, finished the opening frame ahead, 18-12, thanks largely to Ali Ismael, who went 3-for-3 from deep. Gilas, in contrast, couldn’t find the basket, going 5-for-15 in another flat, slow start.
But unlike in their losses, Gilas Pilipinas started to make their move earlier this time around, turning the tables on the Iraqis in the second quarter and outscoring them 21-15, to knot the count at 33 going to intermission.
Dwight Ramos Leads Third Quarter Surge
Gilas finally found a rhythm in the third quarter as Dwight Ramos caught fire and the defense picked up. Down 35-33 early in the third, the nationals unleashed an 11-0 blast powered by two triples from Ramos and another by Justin Brownlee to take over the game, 44-35. Gilas Pilipinas would stretch that lead up to 18 as they outscored Iraq, 22-7 in that canto.
Iraq would make the game interesting in the final frame, though, as it cut the lead to 57-50. But a Calvin Oftana triple pushed the Gilas lead back to double-digits, 60-50, and the Filipinos held firm until the final whistle.
In all, Dwight Ramos finished with 21 points—including 12 in the third quarter alone—to go along with his 5 rebounds. AJ Edu added 9 points and 7 rebounds while being Gilas’ defensive lynchpin with his 3 steals and 2 blocks. Brownlee, one of the top scorers early in the tournament, was held to 8 points on 3-for-12 shooting but had 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Ismael and Thulfigar Hammoodi led the way for Iraq with 13 apiece, but the former scored only 4 points after his red-hot first quarter. Naturalized player Demario Mayfield added 12 points, while big man Ihab Al-Zhuhairi chipped in 8 markers and a game-high 10 boards.
Gilas, Dwight Ramos Brace for Eye of the Needle
With the win, Dwight Ramos and his Gilas cohorts stayed alive for the a medal chase, but they will have to play the knockout playoffs to get to the quarters. By finishing third in Group D, the Philippines is headed for a collision course with the second-place team in Group C, which could be either of Jordan, host nation Saudi Arabia, or India (all playing as of press time).
Should Gilas get past that playoff, they will likely face back-to-back defending FIBA Asia Cup champion Australia in the quarters.
The scores:
Gilas (66) – Ramos 21, Edu 9, Brownlee 8, Tamayo 6, Fajardo 6, Newsome 4, Quiambao 4, Perez 3, Oftana 3, Aguilar 2, Thompson 0
Iraq (57) – Hammoodi 13, Ismael 3, Mayfield 12, Al-Zuhairi 8, Abdullah 5, Al-Khafaji 4, Alibraheemi 2, Abbas 0, Al-Musawi 0, Alqarnawi 0, Abdul Allah 0
