With recollections of a heartbreaking loss from their earlier assembly nonetheless recent, the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team is gearing as much as flip the tables on Chinese language Taipei this time round because the Filipinos open their marketing campaign within the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
Gilas takes on Chinese language Taipei on Wednesday at 2 a.m. (Philippine time) trying to jumpstart its regional match run with a robust efficiency led by traditional suspects Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, CJ Perez, June Mar Fajardo, and Dwight Ramos.
READ MORE | Gilas Pilipinas at 2025 FIBA Asia Cup: Schedule vs Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, and Iraq
Gilas suffered a 91-84 loss to the same team during the third window of the Asia Cup qualifiers final February with Chinese language Taipei’s sharp shooter Chun Hsiang Lu flattening the dagger triple within the remaining 49 seconds.
That loss was the Philippines’ first defeat to Chinese language Taipei since 2013.
That’s why their impending rematch on the Asia Cup will carry added weight, not simply because the opening sport of their marketing campaign however as a shot at redemption.
Gilas caught a break as sharpshooter Lu Chun-hsiang was neglected of Chinese language Taipei’s official Asia Cup roster, although the East Asian facet may have US-based brothers Robert and Adam Hinton to take the lead.
“Taiwan beat us the final time we performed them they usually have two younger Division 1 gamers and people guys are making influence on that staff,” Gilas head coach Tim Cone stated every week in the past.
“They undoubtedly have the personnel, it wasn’t a fluke that they beat us. So we now have to be ready for them.”
Gilas is heading to Asia Cup armed with two morale-boosting wins towards the Macau Black Bears and Jordan of their pleasant matches.
The Filipinos erased a 21-point deficit to eke out a 103-98 win against the Black Bears final Monday with Brownlee, Ramos, Perez, and AJ Edu fueling the comeback within the absence of Fajardo and Calvin Oftana.
?They then carved a 75-61 victory over Jordan in one other tune-up sport in Jeddah.
The world no. 34 Filipinos at the moment are hoping to translate this momentum after they meet no. 73 Chinese language Taipei anew.
?Finishing Gilas’ Asia Cup crew are Chris Newsome, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, Kevin Quiambao, and Carl Tamayo.
Fajardo and Oftana are additionally each listed on the roster however there’s some uncertainty about their availability as the 2 gamers sat out their sport towards Macau to recuperate from a grueling finals collection between their mom golf equipment, San Miguel and TNT, within the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup.
Gilas is competing in Group D of the competitors together with Chinese language Taipei, New Zealand, and Iraq.
—JMB, GMA Built-in Information
