Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. Photo from FIBA Basketball.
MANILA — For 20 minutes, Gilas Pilipinas looked poised to take Australia to the limit.
Things turned ugly for the home team in the second half, however, as the Boomers rediscovered their form and reminded everyone why they are the world’s sixth-ranked team.
The Nationals eventually absorbed a 66-93 loss to the visitors in the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Sunday night, spoiling what had been a promising first half that head coach Tim Cone had high hopes for.
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“For a game and a half, I couldn't have been more proud of our defense,” said Cone as he reflected on their pair of Window 2 matches, which also included a 66-69 loss to New Zealand on Thursday.
“We came out and played with a tremendous amount of energy in that first half. But it just kind of wore us down there in the second,” added the Barangay Ginebra mentor.
That shift allowed Elijah Pepper to erupt for 16 of his 28 points in the second half — nine of which came from beyond the arc — as Australia stretched its lead to as much as 29.
“It was a very painful one. It was a painful second half. Painful to be a part of, painful to watch, especially in front of our home crowd,” Cone said, as his team allowed the Aussies to shoot 10-of-22 from three in the second half after limiting them to just 5-of-20 in the first.
“When they started to stretch the lead a little bit, got some open threes, a couple turnovers on our part, I think we just kind of deflated and lost our energy. We had Pepper in our sights, but we could not stop him. We felt we had a good shot, but suddenly, they were off to the races,” he added.
Instead of dwelling on the loss, however, Cone said the team would focus on the progress it made in this window, especially with the next one set to be played on the opponents’ home floor.
“It is so honorable to be with this team. Just having that opportunity is fantastic. So when we come back together in July, it's always going to be a special thing,” he said.
“I think we're going to come back with renewed fire. It's back to the drawing board for me a little bit. Like I said, I think we're going to have to look at our offense and maybe try to simplify things a little more,” Cone added.