Gilas faces tough NZ Tall Blacks for second window of FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

Game on Thursday
(SM MOA Arena)
7:30 p.m. – Philippines vs New Zealand

GILAS PILIPINAS and New Zealand (NZ) return to the arena where the Filipinos previously pulled off one of their biggest reversals at the Kiwis’ expense.

Will Thursday’s clash at the SM MOA Arena for the second window of the FIBA World Cup’s Asian Qualifiers yield the same stunning result?

That’s certainly the intent as the Nationals host the Tall Blacks at the Pasay City venue 459 days after famously ambushing the visitors, 93-89, back at the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers (ACQ).

That famous upset of November 2024 marked the Filipinos’ first-ever victory against the formidable squad from Oceania after losing the first four faceoffs.

That, however, was the last time Gilas got a W against the Tall Blacks, who countered that upset with a vengeful 87-70 romp in the return leg of the AC Qualifiers in Auckland and a 94-86 verdict in the Asia Cup proper in Jeddah last August.

If successful in dropping the axe again on NZ in the 7:30 p.m. showdown, the troops of coach Tim Cone will qualify for the next round of the Continental qualifiers with much to spare with a perfect 3-0 card in Group A. The Pinoy dribblers previously swept lightweight Guam in the opening window, 87-46 and 95-71.

Consequently, a Philippine victory will send the Kiwis reeling to a 0-3 hole after dropping their first two assignments against Australia, 79-84 and 77-79.

“Coach Tim (Cone) always tells us to look at the bigger picture,” said Gilas guard CJ Perez. “Playing against New Zealand is tough, for sure, but we’ve been working hard and we’re preparing so I think we got a big chance.”

It will be a tall order, though, as 7-foot-3 Kai Sotto, who produced a 19-10-7 statline in the 2024 upset, is sitting this one out while on the road to regaining match fitness after a year of layoff due to ACL injury.

This leaves a heavier load on June Mar Fajardo, AJ Edu and Quentin Millora-Brown as they tackle their NZ counterparts, 6-foot-9 Sam Mennenga, 6-foot-9 Tohi Smith-Milner, 6-foot-11 Tyrell Harrison and 6-foot-10 Yanni Wetzell.

Mr. Mennenga averaged 17.5 points and eight rebounds in Window 1 while Mr. Smith-Milner torched the Nationals with 25 points spiked by five triples in the ACQ rematch on the road. Jordan Ngatai, who fired 23 in the Kiwis’ Asian Cup domination of Gilas, is also back in their fold.

“Right now, with who we have, I think we still have a really good chance with June Mar, AJ and me at the bigs,” Mr. Millora-Brown said in an interview on One Sports. “AJ and I are agile, quick. We can keep up with all of them. June Mar is so big and strong. He’s a real advantage there. So just finding ways to maximize our advantages is important.” — Olmin Leyba