Gilas 'kind of lost heart' in 2nd half vs Australia, says Cone

FILE–Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone during a game vs New Zealand in the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. –FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Justin Brownlee wasn’t the only key factor missing for Gilas Pilipinas against Australia on Monday night.

For a team known for playing its heart out, Gilas didn’t have it for the majority of its 43-point beatdown at the hands of powerhouse Australia in the third window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Perth.

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Coming off a heartbreaking double overtime loss to New Zealand on Friday, the Nationals fell behind big early before showing some fight in the second quarter, led by veteran center June Mar Fajardo, kept them within striking distance.

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But other than that second quarter, Gilas just simply didn’t show enough against a relentless Australian side.

“We felt okay going into the half after playing the second quarter. We were shell-shocked coming out, playing on the road and coming off a tough game,” Gilas coach Tim Cone said. “I think we just kind of lost heart at that point.”

“The second half [started] [and we] made some early errors and they stretched that lead right back to 20-22 within the first minute or two of the third quarter.”

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Dealing with the Aussies’ unrelenting defensive pressure from the get-go, Gilas turned the ball over 19 times against only 11 assists. The Boomers then converted those miscues into 30 points on their end.

Despite the loss, the Philippines advanced to the second round of the qualifiers as the third seed in Group A with a 2-4 record. Australia completed a six-game sweep in the group.

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