THE three-point shot has so far been the bane of Gilas Pilipinas in its FIBA Asia Cup 2025 campaign.
For the second straight game, the opposition torched the Filipinos from beyond the arc, as shown in New Zealand’s 94-86 win Friday morning (Manila time) at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
READ: Gilas' hopes dim as Brownlee-led rally vs New Zealand falls short
The Tall Blacks repeatedly punished Gilas with timely three-point baskets, hitting a high 50-percent of their attempts on 13-of-26 shooting.
Jordan Ngatai stood at the forefront of that sizzling accuracy of the world No. 22, as he was a perfect 5-of-5 from threes.
Coach Tim Cone is himself bewildered by the precision of Filipino foes from long-range in this tournament.
“It just seems to be that's the way the game has been going for us lately,” he said after the Kiwis kept Gilas locked out of the win column at 0-2.
On Wednesday morning (Manila time), Chinese Taipei showered the Philippines with shots from rainbow territory as well by going 12-of-27 for 44-percent.
Ying-Chun Chen accounted for half of the Taiwanese three-pointers, going 6-of-8 from downtown.
“Chinese Taipei shot very well from the 3 and tonight, they (Tall Blacks) shot very well from the 3. So that’s something we’ve got to try to solve and get better at going to our next game and to the tournament,” said Cone.
Gilas gotta get going
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Gilas, even after slightly improving in the New Zealand game where they finished on 9-of-28 shooting for 32-percent.
In all, the Philippines has been a combined 17-of-56 from three-point zone.
Cone said it's imperative for the Filipinos to identify the shooters of other teams, notably Iraq, whom they will next face in a game where the last playoff spot in Group D will be at stake.
“Hopefully, we can turn that around and we have to. And again, it’s all going to be mental. Getting loose balls, getting loose rebounds, and not allowing the extra possessions to get three point shots,” he said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
