MANILA, Philippines – After finally solving the New Zealand puzzle, Gilas Pilipinas looks to complete the two-game home sweep of the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers when it battles Hong Kong at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, November 24.
Still undefeated in Group B with a 3-0 record, a win against Hong Kong will put Gilas Pilipinas another step closer to clinching an outright berth to next year’s Asia Cup as it will only need New Zealand to beat Chinese Taipei on Monday, November 25, to formalize its entry.
Please refresh this page for updates.
Fourth quarter
- GILAS PILIPINAS 81-51: Duncan Reid scores again
- GILAS PILIPINAS 81-49: CJ Perez drops it off to Chris Newsome for a layup
- GILAS PILIPINAS 79-49: Duncan Reid scores off a hook shot
- GILAS PILIPINAS 79-47: CJ Perez skies for another layup
- GILAS PILIPINAS 77-47: CJ Perez converts on a layup
- GILAS PILIPINAS 75-47: Duncan Reid cleans up the miss
- GILAS PILIPINAS 75-45: Carl Tamayo makes it a 30-point game with an undergoal stab
- GILAS PILIPINAS 73-45: Oliver Xu scores, Carl Tamayo counters with a triple
- GILAS PILIPINAS 70-43: Kevin Quiambao drills the wide-open three
Third quarter
- END OF 3Q: Oliver Xu beats the buzzer with a trey, but Gilas Pilipinas leads comfortably, 67-43
- GILAS PILIPINAS 67-40: Justin Brownlee with the soft touch
- GILAS PILIPINAS 65-40: Scottie Thompson corner triple
- GILAS PILIPINAS 62-40: Justin Brownlee scores off another Kai Sotto dime
- GILAS PILIPINAS 60-40: Kai Sotto drops it off to Justin Brownlee for the deuce
- GILAS PILIPINAS 58-40: Scottie Thompson banks in his jump shot
- GILAS PILIPINAS 56-40: June Mar Fajardo saves the possession with a one-hander
- GILAS PILIPINAS 54-40: Yiu Pong Yip makes both of his free throws
- GILAS PILIPINAS 54-38: Scottie Thompson from beyond the arc
- GILAS PILIPINAS 51-38: Justin Brownlee 2/2 with his charity shots
- GILAS PILIPINAS 49-38: Kai Sotto slams it home with a two-handed jam
- GILAS PILIPINAS 47-38: Shu Wah Leung dials from long distance
- GILAS PILIPINAS 47-35: June Mar Fajardo hits from midrange
Second quarter
- HALFTIME: Gilas Pilipinas enters the break with a double-digit lead, 45-35
- GILAS PILIPINAS 45-35: Shu Wah Leung for three
- GILAS PILIPINAS 45-32: Kai Sotto hook shot
- GILAS PILIPINAS 43-32: Choi Kwan Tsai converts on a fast break opportunity
- GILAS PILIPINAS 43-30: Yiu Pong Yip scores on a goaltending violation by Kai Sotto
- GILAS PILIPINAS 43-28: Mason Amos locates Justin Brownlee for the layup
- GILAS PILIPINAS 41-28: Choi Kwan Tsai and-one
- GILAS PILIPINAS 41-25: Carl Tamayo with 6 straight points
- GILAS PILIPINAS 39-25: Power move from Carl Tamayo leads to a basket
- GILAS PILIPINAS 37-25: Carl Tamayo scores from midrange
- GILAS PILIPIANS 35-25: Chris Newsome wide open from deep
- GILAS PILIPINAS 32-25: June Mar Fajardo reverse layup
- GILAS PILIPINAS 30-25: Carl Tamayo buries the corney trey
- GILAS PILIPINAS 27-25: Yuet Yeung Pok drives to the hoop
- GILAS PILIPINAS 27-23: CJ Perez first basket
- GILAS PILIPINAS 25-23: Yuet Yeung Pok 1/2 with his foul shots
- GILAS PILIPINAS 25-22: Marco Leung joins the three-point party
- GILAS PILIPINAS 25-19: Shu Wah Leung for three
First quarter
- END OF 1Q: June Mar Fajardo and Kai Sotto dominate to give Gilas Pilipinas a 25-16 lead
- GILAS PILIPINAS 25-16: Ricky Yang with another triple
- GILAS PILIPINAS 25-13: Kevin Quiambao tallies his first points of the second window
- GILAS PILIPINAS 23-13: Kai Sotto splits his freebies
- GILAS PILIPINAS 22-13: Ricky Yang ends the scoring drought for Hong Kong with a trey
- GILAS PILIPINAS 22-10: Chris Newsome coast to coast
- GILAS PILIPINAS 20-10: Kai Sotto sinks the bonus shot
- GILAS PILIPINAS 19-10: Kai Sotto towers over everyone for the tip plus the foul
- GILAS PILIPINAS 17-10: Chris Newsome drains the layup off a bounce pass from Scottie Thompson
- GILAS PILIPINAS 15-10: Kai Sotto tips it in after a Scottie Thompson miss
- GILAS PILIPINAS 13-10: June Mar Fajardo already with 8 points
- GILAS PILIPINAS 11-10: Justin Brownlee lefty layup
- HONG KONG 10-9: Oliver Xu scores again
- GILAS PILIPINAS 9-8: Justin Brownlee 1/2 at the stripe
- 8-8: 6 straight points for June Mar Fajardo
- GILAS PILIPINAS 8-6: Choi Kwan Tsai for three
- GILAS PILIPINAS 6-5: June Mar Fajardo converts another putback
- HONG KONG 5-4: Oliver Xu from deep
- GILAS PILIPINAS 4-2: June Mar Fajardo putback
- 2-2: Shiu Wah Leung ties the game with a layup
- GILAS PILIPINAS 2-0: Kai Sotto breaks the scoring ice with a short stab
Starters
- GILAS PILIPINAS: Scottie Thompson, Kai Sotto, June Mar Fajardo, Calvin Oftana, Justin Brownlee
- HONG KONG: Shiu Wah Leung, Oliver Xu, Choi Kwan Tsai, Duncan Reid, Yiu Pong Yip
Preview
Playing in front of 16,666 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena last Thursday, November 21, the Filipinos protected their home court and broke through against New Zealand for the first time in five FIBA-sanctioned games with a rousing 93-89 win.
As expected, Justin Brownlee topped the scoring column with 26 points, along with 11 rebounds, while Kai Sotto delivered his finest game yet for Gilas Pilipinas as he racked up a near triple-double of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Scottie Thompson stepped up with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Chris Newsome and Dwight Ramos poured in 11 markers each.
As Gilas Pilipinas faces a winless, 0-3 Hong Kong squad — which it defeated by 30 points in the opening window last February — expect an even more balanced scoring output from the Filipinos as national team head coach Tim Cone will likely use a deeper rotation.
Against New Zealand, Brownlee, Ramos, Sotto, and Thompson all played heavy minutes as other Gilas Pilipinas players saw limited action, with collegiate standouts Kevin Quiambao and Mason Amos logging DNPs (Did Not Play).
Hong Kong, for its part, is expected to rely heavily on its main guys Oliver Xu, former Bay Area Dragons big man Duncan Reid, and Leung Shiu Wah as it hopes to pull off a miraculous upset.
Xu was the lone double-digit scorer for Hong Kong with 11 points in their 85-55 loss to Chinese Taipei on Thursday.
Game time is 7:30 pm. – Rappler.com
