GILAS Pilipinas atoned for a slow start in the first quarter to trail by nine points against Chinese Taipei, 43-34, at the half in their opening game of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Nationals were down by as many as 17 points in the first quarter following a woeful shooting start, but Justin Brownlee got them back with his offense along with hustle plays and second chance opportunities by his teammates in the second period to keep them within striking distance.
Robert Hinton scored five straight points in Chinese Taipei’s 7-0 run in the final moments of the second quarter to regain control of the contest after Gilas was able to slice the gap to four.
Brownlee had 16 points in the first half including a buzzer-beater from halfcourt to trim the gap to 27-16 at the end of the first quarter after Gilas Pilipinas was down, 25-8.
Calvin Oftana and Scottie Thompson had six points apiece as they helped Gilas turn things around in the second quarter where they were able to come to within 36-32.
Chen Ying-Chung sizzled with 17 points in the first half while shooting 6-of-9 from the field including three triples.
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