WHEN Tim Cone said a few days ago that he strongly believes Gilas Pilipinas can beat New Zealand in their Fiba Asia Cup 2025 home qualifier at the MOA Arena, not a lot of fans seemed convinced.
READ Cone convinced Gilas can beat 'tough, physical' New Zealand
On Thursday night, Cone proved true to his word.
Gilas overcame a flat start, New Zealand's fiery shooting and a gallant comeback by the Tall Blacks in the endgame to pull off a 93-89 win and move on the verge of a sweep of their group stage games in the qualifiers.
READ Gilas ends long drought vs New Zealand with gutsy home win
Everyone from Kai Sotto, Justin Brownlee, Chris Newsome, and Scottie Thompson delivered in the home game as Gilas registered the Philippines' first win over the world No. 22 Tall Blacks in a Fiba competition.
A frenzied MOA crowd stood in celebration when the final buzzer sounded to salute Gilas. The tributes extended to social media, of course.
Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:
Tim Cone earns plaudits
Kai Sotto, too
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