Gilas Pilipinas suffered its first defeat in the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, losing to Chinese Taipei, 91-84, in a hard-fought match on Thursday at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
Chinese Taipei's last victory over the Philippines came at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship in Manila.
With 21 points apiece, Ting Chien-Lin and naturalized player Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga spearheaded the home team’s victory.
Justin Brownlee led the Philippine offense with 39 points, including an 8-of-11 performance from three-point range, along with eight assists and six rebounds, but his effort was not enough to prevent the loss.
Dwight Ramos registered 15 points and five rebounds, and AJ Edu followed with 10 points and six assists in the game.
The final period of the match proved crucial as Gilas tried to mount a comeback from a 10-point deficit at the end of the third quarter.
After trailing by as much as 13, Gilas fought back in a thrilling finish and briefly took the lead at 80-79, courtesy of a three-pointer by Brownlee with 3:50 remaining.
Lin's free throws reclaimed the lead for Chinese Taipei, but Chris Newsome responded with a jumper to give the Philippines an 82-81 advantage. Lin then hit a three-pointer to regain the lead at 84-82 with just over three minutes remaining.
Brandon Gilbeck's basket put the home team ahead by four, but AJ Edu's jumper kept the Philippines' hopes alive, narrowing the gap.
Brownlee pulled down a rebound at 1:42, but Gadiaga quickly stole the ball, missing a three-pointer and a layup attempt before Chinese Taipei called for a timeout.
In the dying moments of the game, Brownlee’s potential game-tying shot failed to land. Chun Hsiang Lu seized the moment, hitting a pivotal three-pointer to extend Chinese Taipei’s advantage to 89-84 with 49 seconds remaining.
Gilbeck’s crucial efforts in the final seconds solidified the victory for Chinese Taipei, making sure they held on for the win as the game came to a close.
Quarters: 22-20; 47-45; 71-61; 91-84.
In February of last year’s first window of the qualifiers, Gilas secured a commanding 106-53 victory over Chinese Taipei.
Having secured their spot in the FIBA Asia Cup this August, the Philippines will fly to New Zealand to face the Tall Blacks on February 23, marking the conclusion of their Asia Cup qualifier campaign.
