Gilas Pilipinas’ Kai Sotto during a Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers 2025 game against Hong Kong at Mall of Asia Arena. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Gilas Pilipinas gave Hong Kong no quarter on Sunday night, pummeling the visitors early on in the paint en route to a 93-54 victory in the Fiba Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Kai Sotto and June Mar Fajardo set the tone early, the young big man notching a double-double in the first half on the way to finishing 12 points and 15 rebounds as the latter wound up with 14 and eight.
RESULTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Hong Kong at Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers
Carl Tamayo had himself a night, chipping in a team-best 16 points, while Chris Newsome was solid anew with nine points as the Filipinos kept their record pristine after four matches and two windows.
The Philippines took a 10-point cushion heading into the intermission before naturalized ace Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson and Tamayo took things up a notch and blew the game wide open, ultimately eclipsing their 30-point winning margin of the Chinese during their last encounter in February.
Gilas Pilipinas Carl Tamayo during a Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers 2025 game against Hong Kong at Mall of Asia Arena. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
“We reaped the fruits of our labor in (the Inspire) bubble,” Tamayo, who was adjudged Player of the Game, said in Filipino during the mixed zone chat shortly after the triumph fashioned before 11,000 fans and kept the Chinese winless after four meetings.
Fan favorite Dwight Ramos did not see action due to a calf problem.
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The win gave national coach Tim Cone and his charges an inside track to an outright passage to the main showcase that will be held in Saudi Arabia.
Gilas will be needing a New Zealand win when the Kiwis host Chinese Taipei on Monday afternoon (Manila time) to officially secure a berth in the Jeddah showcase that will be held in August next year.
The Philippines plays Chinese Taipei and the Tall Blacks again for the third and final window of the qualifiers in February.
Hong Kong 54 – S. W. Leung 11, Xu 10, Yang 9, Tsai 8, Reid 6, Yip 4, Pok 3, K. H. M. Leung 3, Yeung 0, Hon 0, Tang 0
Quarters: 25-16, 45-35, 67-43, 93-54.