Gilas Pilipinas did all it could against New Zealand on Friday—all except finish the job.
The nationals, led by Juan Gomez De Liaño, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, and Carl Tamayo, pushed the Tall Blacks to the limit, only to fall short, 100-96, after two overtimes at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.
That core four kept Gilas Pilipinas in the game in the first half, combining for 31 of the team’s 39 points to enter halftime down by five, 44-39. The nationals then turned up the heat in the third quarter, outscoring the Tall Blacks, 25-19, to grab a 64-63 lead heading into the final frame.
Gilas Pilipinas, New Zealand Produce Epic Finish
For a while, the Philippines looked ready to break the game open, taking a 77-70 lead early in the fourth on a Ramos triple from the left corner. New Zealand, though, got that triple right back, with Reuben Te Rangi hitting his own corner triple just seconds later to jumpstart a quick 7-0 run that tied the game at 77.
That exchange of spurts set up an epic finish. Gilas Pilipinas regained the lead on a Quiambao pull-up jumper before the Tall Blacks seized control on back-to-back layups from Tai Webster. New Zealand was still ahead, 83-80, after two free throws from Shea Ili with 22 ticks remaining when De Liaño tied things up with a booming pull-up triple from the right wing.
Overtime was equally close, with back-to-back Te Rangi lay-ins giving New Zealand a 91-90 lead with 24 seconds left. Gomez De Liaño came up clutch once more, hitting another booming triple from nearly the same spot to give Gilas Pilipinas a 93-91 lead. But on the ensuing play, Ramos committed an unnecessary reach-in foul that resulted in two free throws for Ili.
The veteran guard calmly sank both free throws to send the game to more extra time.
Second overtime was much like the first as both teams refused to lose. Justin Brownlee, who had struggled all game, hit a triple to make it 100-96 as the nationals looked poised to steal the win on the road. But the Tall Blacks responded, scoring six unanswered to retake the lead, 102-100. Gilas tied the game one last time on a Quiambao one-hander from the baseline, but the home team ultimately found a way to get the W.
Young Guns Carry the Load
On a night Brownlee scored just 5 points on three shots, the quartet of Gomez De Liaño, Quiambao, Tamayo, and Ramos carried the load offensively, with Gomez De Liaño and Quiambao each firing 23 points, and Tamayo and Ramos adding 18 and 17, respectively.
On the other side, Te Rangi topscored with 22, followed by 21 from Ili. Sam Waardenburg added 16 points and 10 rebounds, Sam Mennenga contributed 13 points and 6 boards, and Tai Webster had 12 points.
With this result, New Zealand improves to 3-2, while Gilas Pilipinas drops to 2-3, extending its losing streak to three games in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
