Kai Sotto’s block that sealed Gilas Pilipinas’ pulsating 82‑81 victory over Jordan in Window 4 of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers deserves all the credit. Cjay Perez’s endgame takeover must be talked about in glowing terms, as should Kevin Quiambao’s clutch triple and pair of slams. They deserve all the love.
That being the case, it would be remiss not to give credit to the other driving force behind Gilas Pilipinas’ comeback: Sotto, Perez, and Quiambao had help—plenty of it. Put simply, multiple players stepped up at different junctures, culminating in Perez going bonkers, Quiambao going clutch, and Sotto standing tall.
Carl Tamayo Provides Some Offensive Punch
Gilas Pilipinas had a nightmare start, and it could have been worse without Tamayo firing two baskets early in the face of Jordan’s initial salvo. The current KBL standout added a free throw in the second quarter and ended the half with a step‑back triple that cut the Jordanians’ lead to 44‑39. Incidentally, that buzzer‑beating triple, according to head coach Tim Cone, lifted the spirits of the team, and it showed in the second half.
Juan Gomez de Liaño Dishes Out Dimes
Gomez de Liaño went scoreless and missed his three attempts from the field. But his playmaking in the second quarter helped Gilas Pilipinas’ initial rally as he sped the game up and found the open man consistently. In fact, he assisted on four straight made field goals, including a dunk by Quiambao and a layup by Dwight Ramos.
Dwight Ramos Does It All
Ramos didn’t shoot particularly well—5‑for‑13 overall—but was solid nonetheless, making timely baskets all game long while taking his turn defending Freddy Ibrahim, Jalen Harris, or Abdullah Olajuwon. He also hit a crucial fadeaway on the baseline that tied the game at 64 with four minutes left.
AJ Edu and Scottie Thompson Assert Their Will
Harris, Jordan’s prolific naturalized reinforcement, entered the game as the leading scorer of these qualifiers at 27.0 points per game. After one half, he looked well on his way to matching that average. Thompson had a different idea, putting the clamps on Harris as the primary defender in the second half. Edu’s aggressive trapping defense complemented Thompson’s tenacious denials and shut down the Jordanian guards’ pull‑up jumpers off pick‑and‑rolls. Thompson added 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal, while Edu chipped in 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block.
Kevin Quiambao Shows Out
Quiambao saw the floor only in spurts, but he made his minutes count, helping in Gilas Pilipinas’ second‑quarter rally and sparking the team in the second half with his energy—plus a breakaway jam early in the third that electrified the crowd. He also hit the crucial triple in OT that proved to be the marginal points.
Cjay Perez Takes Over
Without Justin Brownlee, Gilas Pilipinas needed someone to make things happen down the stretch. Perez took on that role, taking over like he was playing for the San Miguel Beermen. In all, The Predator fired 14 points in the last 15 minutes—10 in the fourth and 4 more in OT—to provide the scoring punch the nationals needed to complete the comeback. He also dished out that perfect kick out to Quiambao that resulted in the latter’s game winner.
Kai Sotto Towers in His Return
Like Ramos, the returning Sotto was a presence all game long as he gave Gilas Pilipinas much‑needed size on both ends. In the end, Kaiju proved once more that height is might as he hit crucial baskets inside in regulation and extra time. Of course, he capped off his 18‑point, 14‑rebound double‑double with the game‑sealing block as time expired.
Gilas Pilipinas: Strength Is in the Collective
All week long, Gilas Pilipinas had been preaching the need to chip in collectively if they were to beat Jordan and Iran without Brownlee.
“I don’t think magagawa namin ‘yung ginagawa ni Justin. No one in our team could be Justin, but kung ano lang ang kaya namin ibigay, ibibigay namin. Bawat isa, mag‑tulong‑tulong,” Tamayo said during a Gilas Pilipinas presser early in the week.
“It’s going to be a collective effort. We all know talagang malaking bagay si Justin but we have to face reality right now na wala siya and we need to step up as a team,” added Thompson in the same press conference.
On Friday, the national team stepped up big time. From Thompson to Tamayo, to KQ and Kai, the collective rose to the occasion.
Now, they’ll look to do it again against Iran on Sunday, also at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
