Gilas Pilipinas challenges top-seeded Australia in semi-final berth

After a rollercoaster ride through the group stage, Gilas Pilipinas finds itself facing one of the biggest challenges of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup: a quarterfinal clash with powerhouse Australia.

Gilas' path to this do-or-die matchup was anything but smooth. Early losses to Chinese-Taipei and New Zealand pushed the team into a tough bracket. That left them with no choice but to face the tournament’s top seed far earlier than hoped.

But if there’s one thing head coach Tim Cone has learned, it’s that this team knows how to rise when it matters most.

“Australia is pretty much the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and for us to beat them it would be an upset,”  Cone admitted.

“But beating Iraq, and the way we won over Saudi Arabia, has given us some momentum. Hopefully, we can carry that into the Australia game.” he added.

That thrilling 95–88 overtime victory against Saudi Arabia — punctuated by a clutch game-tying three from Justin Brownlee with 3.7 seconds left — kept Gilas' hopes alive. Kevin Quiambao also made a strong case for a permanent spot in the rotation. He scored 17 points and hit two big threes in extra time.

Australia, winners of the last two Asia Cup tournaments (2017, 2022), have yet to drop a game in the continental competition. They swept Group A with dominant wins over South Korea, Lebanon, and Qatar. The team was powered by the stellar play of Jaylin Galloway (18 PPG, 3 RPG, 2.3 SPG).

Gilas knows what’s at stake — and who stands in their way.

“Losing the first two games of the tournament got us here. But we figured that if we’re going to do something special, we have to go through Australia at some point. And now that it’s here in front of us, we’re gonna do our best to get at them. We didn’t expect to play them this early,” Cone stated.

This quarterfinal isn’t just a battle for a semifinal berth — it’s also the first meeting between Gilas and Australia since the infamous bench-clearing brawl in 2018 at the Philippine Arena during the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

That incident drew global attention and led to heavy sanctions for both teams, leaving a dark mark on their history. But both federations have since moved forward.

“That was in the past. We understand that and we have learned from that. We just play basketball and that’s what we have to focus on.” said SBP President Al Panlilio.

Panlilio also noted that relations between the SBP and Basketball Australia have since improved, with the Aussies even expressing excitement over hosting Gilas later this year in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Gilas enters Wednesday’s 7 PM (Philippine time) showdown as heavy underdogs, but if there’s one thing this team has shown, it’s their ability to thrive under pressure. With momentum on their side, Gilas is determined to shock the world.