Gilas Pilipinas seeks upset win against Australia in FIBA Asia Cup 2025

Dubai: Gilas Pilipinas is set for a big test on Wednesday when it takes on Australia in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 quarterfinals at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. Tipoff is at 7pm. Manila time, with the winner moving on to the semifinals.

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since their on-court brawl in July 2018 during a FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. That incident led to multiple player ejections, suspensions, and sanctions from FIBA. Only June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar remain from the Gilas squad involved in that game. Australia has no players from its 2018 roster.

Gilas reached the quarterfinals after back-to-back wins over Iraq and Saudi Arabia. They beat the host team 95-88 in overtime, with Justin Brownlee forcing the extra period with a three-pointer in the final seconds. Kevin Quiambao added 17 points, including two key three-pointers in overtime.

Australia advanced as the top team in Group A after defeating South Korea, Lebanon, and Qatar. The Boomers are led by Jack McVeigh, Jaylin Galloway, and Reyne Smith, with Galloway averaging 18 points per game.

Gilas coach Tim Cone acknowledged the immense challenge ahead, calling Australia "the no. 1 seed in the tournament." He added that beating them would be a significant upset for his team.

Tim Cone's key players will be Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu, and Justin Brownlee, who hit the crucial three-pointer with three seconds left that sent the game against the Saudis into overtime.

Cone had high praise for Quiambao, stating, 'Kevin is not afraid of the moment. He will play on. He’s going to play the same way. He brings it on all the time.'

Both teams will now focus on earning a semifinal berth and leaving the events of 2018 in the past.