Gilas Pilipinas ousted by hot-shooting Australia in FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals

Gilas Pilipinas saw its 2025 FIBA Asia Cup campaign come to a halt after absorbing an 84-60 defeat to an Australia side that torched the Philippines early on and never looked back in their quarterfinals duel on Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Kevin Quiambao took the scoring cudgels once more for the Filipinos with 17 points, including five three-pointers, but his effort was not enough as they bowed out of contention. The rising Gilas star also grabbed four rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

The Boomers, who punished Gilas with 11 three-pointers led by four triples from Jaylin Galloway, advanced to the semifinals and kept their FIBA Asia Cup three-peat bid alive. 

"I really like our team.I liked the way we play, I like the togetherness, they're all good guys and easy to coach but I didn't like our performance tonight," Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone said. 

"I didn't think we stepped up as much as we wanted to. No doubt, the Australians' athleticism and length, even though you see it on videos, when you  get there and start playing, you'll realize they're very superior."

Australia, the second-best three-point shooting team in the tournament, scorched right from the get-go with the 22-year-old Galloway hitting three from downtown that helped the two-time defending champions create a 16-4 lead in the opening period. 

Quiambao and Dwight Ramos tried to fuel an early second-quarter rampage by cutting the deficit to 12, 31-19, but Australia was quick to regroup and countered with a 17-9 run to close out the first half enjoying a 48-48 cushion. 

Australia once again showcased its torrid shooting in the third quarter, with Owen Stephen Foxwell leading the charge. He drilled back-to-back triples before Jaylin Galloway added another, stretching the lead to 59-35.

Quiambao tried to spark a another fightback, sinking a pair of threes bridging the third and fourth periods, but Foxwell and the rest of the Boomers proved too much as the Filipinos’ FIBA Asia Cup campaign came to an end.

The former De La Salle University standout got little help with Ramos and Justin Brownlee chipping in 15 and 10 markers each while AJ Edu chimed in with eight markers, eight rebounds, and three assists. 

Galloway and Foxwell both finished with 15 points while big man Jack McVeigh chipped in 12 markers, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. 

Scores:

Australia 84 - Foxwell 17, Galloway 15, McVeigh 12, Magnay 10, Cooks 10, White 8, Wessels 6, Hickey 5, Daniels 1, Smith 0, Bannan 0, Henshall 0.

Gilas Pilipinas 60 - Quiambao 17, Ramos 15, Brownlee 10, Edu 8, Latvia 5, Tamayo 2, Aguilar 2, Malonzo 1, Newsome 0.

Quarters: 29-12, 48-28, 69-50, 84-60.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News