Gilas fades in the second half, loses to host Australia by 43

July 7 ------ GILAS Pilipinas got overwhelmed by Australia, 92-49 at the conclusion of their first-round campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers at the RAC Arena in Perth.

The Philippines lost for the fourth straight game in the World Cup Qualifiers after a horror shooting performance and an error-strewn second half that put to naught a courageous stand in the opening 20 minutes.

Gilas was coming off a 106-102 double-overtime defeat to New Zealand last Friday and, after a first half where it kept the lead down to 14, faded badly in the final stretch to wrap up the group stage with a 2-4 win-loss record. The Filipinos advanced as the third best team in Group A, which the Boomers topped with a perfect 6-0 card that they will carry over into the second round.

Justin Brownlee was sorely missed as he sat out Monday’s game against Australia due to a hamstring strain and peroneal tendinopathy on his right leg and left knee swelling and cartilage defects. Juan Gomez de Liano and Mike Phillips later suffered injuries in the second half, compounding the woes of Gilas, although Gomez de Liano later returned in the fourth quarter.

Dwight Ramos was the top scorer for Gilas but didn’t even breach double digits as he had only nine points. June Mar Fajardo finished with eight points and eight rebounds, but went scoreless in the second half. Overall, Gilas shot just 18-of-64 (28 percent) from the field, and converted only four three-pointers from 24 attempts. The Nationals also committed 19 turnovers that led to 30 Australia points. Gilas scored just 22 points in the second half that allowed the Boomers to open leads that swelled to as much as 43 points, 89-46. Six-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton had 21 points, 13 coming in the first half, followed by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor, who had 16 markers for the Boomers.

The scores:

Australia 92 – Cotton 21, Proctor 16, Creek 13, Bannan 11, Pinder 9, Armstrong 4, Glover 4, Reyne 3, McVeigh 3, Condon 3, Okwera 3, Swaka Lo Buluk 2.

Philippines 49 – Ramos 9, Fajardo 8, Quiambao 8, Gomez de Liano 7, Phillips 6, Edu 5, Rosario 4, Tamayo 2, Newsome 0, Abarrientos 0, Baltazar 0.

Quarters: 33-14; 41-27; 63-37; 92-49.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com