Camille Naredo

Justin Brownlee of the Philippines in action against New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, November 21, 2024 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Gilas Pilipinas battles with New Zealand in the  FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers in Pasay City on November 21, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers

Romwel Anzures

ABS-CBN News

<div style="line-height:1"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173220193689120241121-fiba-gilas-newzealand-MQD_1191-MD.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Gilas Pilipinas superstar Justin Brownlee against New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Photo from Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News."/>Gilas Pilipinas superstar Justin Brownlee against New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Photo from Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News.</div>MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas has beaten New Zealand in a FIBA competition for the first time ever.The Nationals made history after they defeated the Tall Blacks, 93-89, on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, and this is the first time that they moved past the Kiwis after previously going 0-4 since they first met in 2016.&quot;I&#x27;m just happy for the team and happy for the country,” said Gilas star Justin Brownlee, who paced the squad into their third win in as many games in Group B with 26 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, and two rejections.&quot;We haven&#x27;t beaten New Zealand, so it feels great. Coach Tim [Cone] came in with a good game plan for us, so I think we prepared very well. We expected that it&#x27;s gonna be a hard game for they are one of the top teams in the world. We knew it wasn&#x27;t gonna be easy.”<div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2024/11/21/fiba-sotto-brownlee-power-gilas-to-statement-win-over-new-zealand-2120">READ: Sotto, Brownlee power Gilas to statement win over New Zealand</a></div>This was a bounceback game for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel superstar.Brownlee entered this qualifier fresh off a PBA Season 49 Governors&#x27; Cup Finals loss against the TNT Tropang GIGA just a few weeks ago, and he admitted that the defeat served as extra fuel for him going up against &quot;For sure,” he said if he had extra motivation coming into this clash against NZ. &quot;Anytime you lose, you always try to bounce back. In the Finals, we lost, and it was a great lesson, so it feels good to play for Gilas and get a win over New Zealand.”However, despite bouncing back by leading all scorers, Brownlee deflected the credit to Kai Sotto and the returning Scottie Thompson. &quot;I&#x27;ve been saying that he&#x27;s good enough to play in the NBA,” Brownlee said of the 7-foot-3 young Gilas star who had 19 markers, 10 boards, seven dimes, and two each of blocks and steals. <div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173220206758920241121-fiba-gilas-newzealand-MQD_1416-MD.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Kai Sotto in Gilas Pilipinas’ victory over New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Photo by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News."/>Kai Sotto in Gilas Pilipinas’ victory over New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Photo by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News.</div>&quot;It&#x27;s great playing with him. He does a lot of things very well. He can do everything, and he makes the game a lot easier for everybody.&quot;&quot;He&#x27;s got the height, size, and skills, so it&#x27;s great to see a young player like him fulfill his potential. He&#x27;s got a long way to go, so I&#x27;m happy for him and excited to see what the future holds for him,&quot; furthered Brownlee of Sotto, who was, like him, vital in the third-quarter run that allowed them to move past the Kiwis.Brownlee also hailed Thompson, who previously missed Gilas&#x27; campaign in the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Latvia earlier this year due to injury.<div style="line-height:1"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/173220212379120241121-fiba-gilas-newzealand-MQD_1709-MD.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Scottie Thompson in Gilas Pilipinas’ victory over New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Photo by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News."/>Scottie Thompson in Gilas Pilipinas’ victory over New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. Photo by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News.</div>&quot;Welcome back Scottie, man!&quot; JB said of his Ginebra teammate. &quot;His energy is always unmatched, grabbing rebounds over seven-footers, and he&#x27;s one of a kind, for sure.&quot;Brownlee, Sotto, Thompson, and the rest of Gilas return to action on Sunday at the same Pasay bayside venue when they face Hong Kong. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.<div>RELATED VIDEO:<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4uDcCGuhzXw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></div>

Gilas Pilipinas has beaten New Zealand in FIBA competition for the first time ever.

Gilas Pilipinas has beaten New Zealand in FIBA competition for the first time ever.

FIBA: Fueled by loss in PBA Finals, Brownlee leads Gilas to another historic win

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Basketball

FIBA: Fueled by loss in PBA Finals, Brownlee leads Gilas to another historic win

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 21, 2024 11:39 PM PHT

Read More:

Basketball

ABSSports

ABSNews

Gilas Pilipinas

Justin Brownlee

2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers

Scottie Thompson

Kai Sotto

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.