Gilas Pilipinas gave everyone a glimpse of their dominant performance by routing Hong Kong 93-54 to sweep Window 2 of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers last 24 November at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The win secured a clean sweep of the first two qualifying windows, solidifying the Philippines’ perfect 4-0 record to lead Group B. Meanwhile, Hong Kong remains winless at 0-4, languishing at the bottom of the standings.
The victory of the New Zealand Tall Blacks against Chinese Taipei the following day sealed the Philippines a spot in next year’s Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Under coach Tim Cone’s guidance, Gilas previously defeated Hong Kong 94-64 on February 22 at the Tsuen Wan Sports Centre.
"Offensively, we moved the ball a lot better in the second half, and we started defending better," said Cone. "We’re really dependent on our ball movement."
Gilas relied on strong contributions from June Mar Fajardo, Kai Sotto, Justin Brownlee, and Carl Tamayo, all of whom scored in double digits.
A decisive 16-2 run in the third quarter expanded the Philippines’ lead to 67-40, effectively breaking the game open.
Kevin Quiambao and Mason Amos capped off the third quarter with consecutive three-pointers, helping extend the lead to as high as 39 points.
"Dapat laro namin ‘yung gusto naming laro, dapat hindi tayo bumaba. Nagtulungan kami, nag-execute kami noong second half," said Tamayo, who led all scorers with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He also contributed five rebounds and three assists.
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