GILAS Pilipinas was sent to its knees by Elijah Pepper's hot shooting and Australia ran away with a 93-66 win - the hosts' second straight loss in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Pepper was nearly unstoppable as he sparked a fiery third-period burst that enabled the Boomers to break loose from a five-point halftime lead and leave the hosts without a win in Group A in Window 2 of the qualifiers.
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The 6-4 Australian-American finished with a game-high 28 points embellished by five three-pointers, helping what amounts as 'Team B' of the Boomers basketball program keep the nation's slate perfect in Group A at 4-0.
Justin Brownlee finally got going for Gilas with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, but he and his teammates simply had no answer when the Aussies outscored the hosts, 55-33, in the second half to turn the game into a romp.
The only silver lining for the night was Gilas clinching a spot in the second round of the qualifiers, thanks to New Zealand's 99-67 win over Guam. The Tall Blacks are now tied at 2-2 (win-loss) with Gilas, which it beat 69-66, on Thursday.
Brownlee and Quentin Millora-Brown were the only bright spots for Gilas on offense as the rest of the squad fired blanks. In all, the Philippines made less than 35 percent of its shots on a 22-of-63 clip - including a 8-of-31 shooting from three.
Gilas was also battered off the boards, 50-39, and made to pay for their 12 turnovers. But the biggest thorn in the side of the hosts were the 18 offensive boards that gave the Boomers second, third chances in single possessions which they didn't waste.
Pepper, who went 11-of-24 from the field, nailed a three-pointer on the back end of a 7-0 blast that turned a 54-44 lead into a 61-44 advantage.
Tanner Krebs set the tone with four straight points to start the ballgame, while hitting threes of his own to finish with 18 points on 4-of-8 shooting from threes. Mitch Creek provided the veteran leadership to produce 13 points and six rebounds.
Brownlee had 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, while Millora-Brown added 11 points and five rebounds. But Dwight Ramos, the leading scorer in Gilas’ loss to New Zealand, only had nine points on a 2-of-10 clip from the field.
The scores:
Australia 93 – Pepper 28, Krebs 18, Creek 13, Wilson 12, Kay 8, J. White 6, I. White 5, Froling 3, Smith 0, Holt 0.
Philippines 66 – Brownlee 20, Millora-Brown 11, Ramos 9, Edu 6, Newsome 4, Oftana 3, Thompson 3, Perez 3, Quiambao 3, Tamayo 2, Fajardo 2, Gomez de Liano 0.
Quarters: 14-13; 38-33; 68-53; 93-66.
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