GILAS Pilipinas stayed within striking distance of Australia, 38-33, at halftime of their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers home game at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Justin Brownlee finally got his offense going in the first half after firing blanks in a loss to New Zealand, leading the way for Gilas with 10 points including two triples.
READ Meet Australia 'B Team' battling Gilas in Asian Qualifiers
Quentin Millora-Brown and Dwight Ramos also stepped up as Gilas gave itself a fighting chance against the world's No. 6 ranked team.
The Boomers led for most of the first half. A 6-0 second-quarter run gave the road team a 30-21 lead, the biggest at that point of the game.
Elijah Pepper led Australia with 12 points including a three-pointer during that crucial run.
Millora-Brown had Gilas seven points and three rebounds, while Ramos added five points by halftime.
Tanner Krebs got Australia going with the first four points of the ballgame to end up with nine points in the first half while Tom Wilson contributing seven points for the Boomers.
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