KAI Sotto came three assists shy of a triple double during Gilas Pilipinas’ thrilling win over New Zealand on Thursday night in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 qualifier.
Sotto came away with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists as the Philippines held off New Zealand, 93-89, for its first FIBA win over the Oceania team in five games.
READ Gilas ends long drought vs New Zealand with gutsy home win
The Gilas big man did it all despite having go through concussion protocol under Japan B.League rules after getting hurt in his last game before going back to Manila.
Gilas coach Tim Cone hailed Sotto for his commitment to the team, which he showed by keeping up with teammates in training after he was done with the protocols.
“I just love the commitment that Kai is showing, coming in everyday and everytime, coming in early,” said Cone.
“They are going to two-a-day practices, poor guy [Sotto] had to go through two-a-day practices coming off a concussion. And still battled through it all. And everybody is doing the same,” said Cone.
Sotto deflected the credit to his teammates, saying they worked together to pull off the huge victory over the world No. 22 in front of their home fans at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“I think it’s just a great team win,” said Sotto. “Everybody contributed and I’m just very happy that we got the win. Really worked hard in terms of preparation and coming into this game.”
“We just want to bring our A game because we know how good New Zealand is and we really respect them as a team. I’m just happy we got the win and hopefully, we get another one on Sunday against Hong Kong,” said Sotto.
Cone said Sotto is a reflection of how Gilas players have been sacrificing for the nation's pride.
“I’ll be honest, they are not making big money doing this. They come here basically, it’s a small little portion of the salaries they make in their home teams, with what they are making here,” Cone said.
“They are coming in here with their hearts more than their pockets,” Cone said.
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