Gilas Pilipinas aims for shock victory over Australia in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 tournament
In the upcoming quarterfinals of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, Gilas Pilipinas will face a familiar foe: Australia. This matchup marks the first encounter between the two teams since their infamous on-court brawl in July 2018 during a FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game.
Gilas Pilipinas and Australia have a competitive basketball history, with Australia's dominance evident in their 5-1 lead in the all-time series. The 2018 clash at the Philippine Arena ended prematurely due to a third-quarter brawl, resulting in 13 player ejections (9 from Gilas).
In the recently concluded 2025 FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals, Australia continued their dominance, defeating Gilas Pilipinas 84-60. The Boomers showcased their superior three-point shooting and fastbreak efficiency, exploiting Filipino defensive lapses. Key Australian players included Jaylin Galloway (15 points early) and Owen Foxwell (game-high 17 points). Despite Gilas' resilient effort, fueled by players like Dwight Ramos and Justin Brownlee, Australia’s unbeaten Asia Cup streak since 2017 remained intact.
As they prepare for the upcoming game, both teams are aiming to leave the events of 2018 in the past. Notably, Australia has no players from its 2018 roster, while only June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar remain from the Gilas squad involved in the brawl.
Tim Cone, the coach of Gilas Pilipinas, has identified Australia as the top seed in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 tournament. He believes a victory against Australia would be a significant upset for his team. Key players for Gilas in the upcoming game include Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu, and Justin Brownlee.
In their previous game, Gilas reached the quarterfinals after back-to-back wins over Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Justin Brownlee hit a crucial three-pointer with three seconds left against Saudi Arabia, sending the game into overtime. Kevin Quiambao added 17 points, including two key three-pointers in overtime, for Gilas, who eventually beat the host team 95-88 in overtime.
Australia advanced as the top team in Group A after defeating South Korea, Lebanon, and Qatar. Jack McVeigh, Jaylin Galloway, and Reyne Smith lead Australia, with Galloway averaging 18 points per game.
Both teams are now focused on earning a semifinal berth in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025. The game will take place at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, with tipoff at 7pm Manila time.
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The upcoming fixture between Gilas Pilipinas and Australia in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 will be a significant sports event, marking a resumption of their competitive basketball history. Despite their 5-1 lead in the all-time series, both teams aim to leave the events of 2018 behind as they focus on earning a semifinal berth.
