Gilas arrives in Taiwan for Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers final leg

Members of the Gilas Pilipinas delegation in Taiwan ahead of the team’s Fiba Asia Cup qualifying game against home team Taipei. –SBP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas has arrived in Taiwan to play first of the two games in the third and final window of the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.

On Wednesday morning, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) reported that the national team landed in Taiwan after a day after making a quick stop in the Philippines after a short pocket tournament in Qatar..

Gilas Pilipinas immediately went to training in Taipei.

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers third window

“I thought the practice was really high energy today. I thought the guys out there were having fun. We wanted to have a positive practice. We wanted to be competing. And I thought we saw that today,” Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone said in an interview posted by SBP.

“This is just not a time for us to rest.  We can’t afford to rest right now.  We just got to keep pushing and moving forward.”

Gilas had an underwhelming string of games in the 2nd Doha International Cup, winning just one game out of three outings.

READ: Tim Cone relishes tough Gilas schedule: ‘We want it hard’

In its final game, Gilas bowed to Egypt, 86-55, in a 31-point blowout loss.

But the Philippines still has momentum going on for the last qualifying window as it is currently atop group play with an undefeated 4-0 record.

Whatever the outcome last two games may be, the Filipinos are already assured of a ticket to the Asia Cup this August happening in Saudi Arabia.

Still, it won’t hurt the Philippines if it wins its last two assignments, beginning with Chinese Taipei on Thursday, 7 pm, at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.

Then, Gilas will close out Fiba Asia Cup qualifying action on Sunday when it faces New Zealand at Spark Arena in Auckland at 10 am (Manila time).