After eight years and four back-to-back losses, the Gilas Pilipinas finally emerged victorious against New Zealand.
The Filipinos remain undefeated at the qualifiers of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup after defeating the Tall Blacks, 93-89, on Thursday, November 21 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Justin Brownlee finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds while Kai Sotto registered 19 markers and 10 boards as they powered the hosts to their third straight victory in the qualifying tournament.
New Zealand appeared to have control of the game at the start after scoring the first eight points.
However, the Philippines refused to go down without a fight and managed to cut the deficit down to two, 22-20, at the end of the first quarter.
CJ Perez and Brownlee buried back-to-back three pointers for the Filipinos to grab their first lead of the game, 43-39, at the second period before a triple by Thomas Vodanovich allowed the Kiwis to tie the score, 45-all, going into halftime.
Gilas Pilipinas seized the lead for good after a 16-point scoring run late in the third quarter, 72-60.
The Tall Blacks remained defiant until the end and used threes to close the gap, 84-82, but Brownlee made two free throws and Chris Newsome hit a basket from downtown for the Philippines to regain a seven point advantage, 91-84.
Corey Webster scored 25 points while both Vodanovich and Sam Waardenburg added 19 points for New Zealand, which dropped to a 2-1 win-loss record in the qualifiers.
The Filipinos target to claim their fourth win in the qualifiers when they face Hong Kong on Sunday, November 24, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
