IT was an old, familiar play that Justin Brownlee knew like the palm of his hands.
Tim Cone again looked for Brownlee with the game was on the line and the naturalized player delivered anew in another spectacular way in the 95-88 overtime win over host Saudi Arabia that sent Gilas Pilipinas to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 quarterfinals.
Brownlee was clutch in the homestretch, hitting the game-tying three-pointer like he has done time and time again in his career since first playing in the Philippines with Barangay Ginebra in 2016.
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The huge basket with nine seconds remaining in regulation highlighted Gilas’ comeback from a 77-71 deficit inside the final 1:33 of a back-and-forth game played before a boisterous crowd at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Tuesday morning.
Brownlee scored eight of the team’s last 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead the epic comeback.
The game-tying play wasn’t a secret at all, according to Cone.
“We just ran an old play for Justin that he’s familiar with. We got the switch that we wanted, got a little, smaller guy on him, and he was able to get a shot over the top,” said the Gilas coach, noting it was the same play - and shot - Brownlee made when he won Ginebra its first championship in eight years during the 2016 Governors’ Cup.
“He was familiar with it, and that kind of spearheaded us forward once we got into overtime, the momentum on that shot, the emotion from that shot propelled us through the overtime."
The veteran coach was no longer surprised with how his long-time Ginebra import carried Gilas on his broad shoulders.
“If you know his history, that’s not unusual. He’s been hitting big shots,” said the Gilas coach in the post-game presser. "I’m his coach in his club team, and when we played in the Asian Games, he was hitting big shots all the time.”
The heroics of the 37-year-old naturalized player eventually rubbed off on the team as Kevin Quiambao, AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos, and Scottie Thompson took the cue and carried the fight for the Philippines in the extra period.
“We came out and played very well in overtime, really got a groove going, got some momentum, and was able to take it,” noted Cone.
It was the second straight win for Gilas dating back to the final game of the group stage against Iraq, something which the team will carry with it to the quarterfinals opposite defending champion Australia.
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