Not even the injured Justin Brownlee could’ve saved Gilas Pilipinas against Australia on Monday. No one could have.
That’s how dominant the Boomers were in chalking up their sixth win of the first round of the FIBA Asia World Cup Qualifiers, manhandling the Philippines, 92-49, even after an uncharacteristically shaky second quarter at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Australia showed its level early, going off on a 14-0 run after Gilas Pilipinas tied things up at 8 in the first few minutes of the opening frame. In all, the Boomers outscored the Philippines, 25-6, to end the first quarter with a 33-14 advantage.
Gilas Shows Fight
Down big early, Gilas finally showed some fight in the second, locking down on defense while also getting a huge boost from longtime center June Mar Fajardo. Behind a swarming, aggressive defense, the nationals somehow chipped away at that 19-point deficit, limiting the Boomers to only 8 points and scoring 13 of their own.
Fajardo led the way in this fight back, holding his own on defense, grabbing rebounds, and anchoring an offense that saw very few openings all game long. Behind The Kraken, Gilas closed the gap somewhat, 41-27, entering halftime.
Australia Puts the Game Out of Reach
That Gilas fight back didn’t last long. Powered by back-to-back treys from Tyrese Proctor and Jack McVeigh, the Boomers established their first 20-point cushion in the game—and they never looked back. Bryce Cotton, a legend in Australian hoops, extended the lead to 55-33 with another trey, and the rout was on.
The Boomers didn’t relent in the final frame, locking down the Filipinos on defense and refusing to yield any opening, whether from distance or on drives. Australia’s defense was so good in this game that Gilas at times couldn’t even bring the ball to the front court, as the backcourt trap kept forcing errant passes and head-scratching decisions that led to turnovers.
Fajardo Was a Bright Spot
In the end, no Gilas player scored in double digits, with the closest being Dwight Ramos and his 9 points. However, he went 4-for-16 and kept forcing shots against Australia’s suffocating defense. A bright spot was Fajardo, who finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
On the other side, Cotton’s game-high 21 points led four Boomers in double figures. Proctor added 16, Mitch Creek tallied 13, and Josh Bannan contributed 11.
With the win, Australia finished first-round action with a pristine 6-0 record. Gilas, on the other hand, falls to 2-4.
