MANILA, Philippines – As coach Tim Cone simply put it, Chinese Taipei just refused to crack under Gilas Pilipinas’ pressure.
Cone praised the steely Taiwanese for their resolve as they weathered the Philippines’ storm and earned a hard-fought 91-84 win in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Thursday, February 20.
Enjoying homecourt advantage, Chinese Taipei overcame a gem of a performance by Justin Brownlee, who finished with 39 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, to deal the Filipinos their first loss of the tournament.
“I thought the Chinese Taipei team was very impressive. We made a couple of runs at them, we were hoping they would crack, but they never did,” said Cone.
The Taiwanese led by as many as 13 points and mounted a 71-61 cushion through three quarters, but momentum shifted to the Philippines behind Brownlee.
Brownlee poured 11 points in the fourth period, including a three-pointer — his eighth and last of the game — that allowed the Philippines to seize the upper hand at 80-79 with under four minutes left.
The home team, though, remained poised down the stretch and went on a 12-4 finishing run as Chinese Taipei held the visitors scoreless in the final two minutes.
“A lot of credit to Chinese Taipei. They bounced back from the last time we played them,” said Brownlee. “Like coach said, they hit some big shots every time we tried to get a rhythm or make a run. They just responded really well. It was a hard-fought game and congrats to them.”
Key personnel changes were crucial for the Taiwanese in their payback win a year after they were given a 53-point thrashing by the Filipinos in the first window.
Naturalized big man Brandon Gilbeck, Mohammad Gadiaga, Lin Ting-Chien, Ma Chien-Hao, and Lu Chun-Hsiang, who were all missing from that blowout loss, combined for 82 points.
Lin and Gadiaga finished with 21 points each, Lu fired 18 points, Ma contributed 14 points, while Gilbeck provided 8 points with 8 rebounds and 5 blocks.
“They kept their composure, they kept making big shots. Very impressive win by them. They well deserve it,” said Cone.
Dropping to 4-1, Gilas Pilipinas aims to wrap up its Asia Cup Qualifiers campaign on a high note as it visits New Zealand (4-1) in Auckland on Sunday, February 23. – Rappler.com