GILAS Pilipinas got off to a slow start against Australia but showed a lot of fight i the second quarter and trailed, 41-27, at the half of their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers at the RAC Arena in Perth.
The Philippines fell behind, 24-8, after Australia scored 12 unanswered points behind the effort of six-time National Basketball League (NBL) MVP Bryce Cotton, who made his first five shots - three from beyond the three-point arc.
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Both teams struggled from the field in the second quarter, but Gilas managed to slice the gap to as low as 12, 37-25, behind June Mar Fajardo who provided the needed muscle inside the paint against the rugged Boomers.
Fajardo came off the bench for AJ Edu and had a solid first half with eight points while going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. The nine-time PBA MVP also had seven rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes of action.
Cotton had 15 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field including three threes, while Mitch Creek added 12 points and four rebounds for the Boomers, who are out to stay unbeaten in six Group A games heading into the second round.
Gilas, which is without injured national player Justin Brownlee, surprisingly outrebounded the Boomers, 28-24, in the first half and limited the hosts to eight second-quarter points to keep the game from turning into a full-blown romp.
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