Gilas Pilipinas in the second window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, February 26, 2026. Photo from FIBA
MANILA (UPDATED) — Gilas Pilipinas absorbed its first defeat in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
The Nationals, who were coming from a 2-0 sweep of Guam in the first window, were turned back by New Zealand, 69-66, Thursday at the Mall fo Asia Arena in Pasay City.
"I feel bad. I wish I was better today," said guard Dwight Ramos, reflecting on the outcome.
Ramos led a spirited comeback attempt late in the fourth frame, firing a personal five-point output under the final minute. He anchored Gilas within two, twice — first, at the 66-64 mark, nailing a heart stopping triple; second, a second-chance layup that resuscitated the Nationals after Calvin Oftana missed his trey attempt, 68-66.
After New Zealand's Reuben Te Rangi split his shots from the charity stripe, the Levanga Hokkaido baller had a chance to send the game to overtime at 69-66, seven seconds left. However, his shot from the logo missed, hitting the board and the ring, with the buzzer ringing that signaled Gilas' narrow three-point loss.
"I was trying to bank it in and it just didn't fall," said Ramos, who finished with a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds, but shot inefficiently from the field, to which he acknowledged.
He had a 6-of-21 field goal clip, and only made one trey on 10 tries.
"It's kind of tough because I missed a lot of shots. Obviously, I missed the last shot," said Ramos. "Right now, all I can think about is my mistakes. I feel bad but I gotta move on to the next game."
CJ Perez added 15 points — 10 of those were Gilas' first markers in the opener, sparking a 14-7 start. However, the Tall Blacks proved steadier as the first quarter went on, carving out a 25-21 lead.
The Nationals ended the first half with a 10-0 run to tie at 37-apiece, but a lackluster 20-9 third period from the hometown heroes put the New Zealand side on the gas pedal en route to the win.
Juan Gomez de Liano impressed in his first game back in a Gilas jersey, tallying 10 points and two assists, while AJ Edu led in the rebounding department with 11 boards, to go with five points.
Coach Tim Cone and company now aim to bounce back against Australia on Sunday at the same venue.
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