Mall of Asia Arena
- 7:30pm – Hong Kong vs New Zealand
Gilas Pilipinas center Kai Sotto soars for a dunk during a Fiba Asia Cup 2025 game against New Zealand. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Gilas Pilipinas shoots for a sweep of its two home stands when it battles Hong Kong anew in the Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers on Sunday night.
Fresh off a slump-breaking 93-89 win over New Zealand last Thursday, the Nationals will try to repeat over their Chinese foes 7:30 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena, and leave nothing to chance in sewing up a spot in the main tournament that will be held in Saudi Arabia in August.
Gilas, according to an Inquirer source familiar with the inner workings of the program, is set to parade the same roster that delivered the country’s historic first victory over the Tall Blacks. But the squad will provide a different look for the visitors with June Mar Fajardo back in harness.
Gilas Pilipinas guard Scottie Thompson during a game against New Zealand in the second window of the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers at Mall of Asia Arena.—MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone made sure to call out the doubters who criticized Scottie Thompson’s national team inclusion.
Cone fired back at the naysayers on the heels of Thompson’s stellar outing that helped Gilas beat powerhouse New Zealand, 93-89, in the second window of the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers on Thursday night at Mall of Asia Arena.
“I remember when there was a time when people were saying that Scottie can’t play in the international games,” said Cone.
Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone and Kai Sotto during the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 qualifiers game vs New Zealand. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Gilas Pilipinas’ seemingly endless years of torment at the hands of New Zealand finally reached its resolution on Thursday night in the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers after a heart-stopping 93-89 triumph carved out before nearly 17,000 screaming souls at Mall of Asia Arena.
That showed how much this edition of the National Five has come since its debut last summer. And what this team has so far done is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg for a program that has hit its stride lately.
“We haven’t seen our best team yet,” coach Tim Cone said after the win very few saw coming. “We’ve been able to beat the No. 6 team (Latvia in the Olympic qualifiers) and the No. 22 (in New Zealand).
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