Despite being undermanned, Gilas Pilipinas clamped down on defense and held the visiting Macau Black Bears to just four points in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter.
With Justin Brownlee taking over in the final period, the Philippine men’s national team rallied past the Black Bears, 103–98, in their friendly match Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We had to play defense. We came out and gave up 63 points in the first half,” said Gilas head coach Tim Cone, as the team wraps up its buildup for the FIBA Asia Cup on Aug. 5.
Gilas, playing without injured mainstays Junemar Fajardo, Kai Sotto, and Calvin Oftana, leaned on Brownlee’s 32 points and 15 rebounds.
Brownlee exploded for 15 points in the fourth quarter—including four triples—fueling Gilas’ comeback from a 79–81 deficit at the end of the third. His heroics helped Gilas pull ahead, 101–94, with 1:44 left to play.
“They surprised us with their ability to shoot the ball. And we didn’t know their players,” Cone admitted.
The Black Bears, led by William Douglas and Archibald Anthony, stunned Gilas early with a 13–2 run behind baskets from Omari Peek and former UP Fighting Maroons standout Quentin Millora-Brown.
Macau grabbed a 33–25 lead at the end of the first quarter. Triples from Jennings Leung and Peek pushed their advantage to 17, 63–46, by halftime.
“We were shocked that they led by as much as 20 points. But when the guys decided to play defense, we were able to come back,” Cone added.
Gilas began its rally in the third, with Scottie Thompson’s three-pointer trimming the deficit to just two, 79–81.
Dwight Ramos contributed 19 points, four rebounds, and six assists, while AJ Edu added 15 points.
Fajardo sat out the game to rest. Sotto is still undergoing rehab, and Oftana needs more time to recover from injury.
Gilas is set to fly to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where it will play one more tune-up game against Jordan before opening its Asia Cup campaign on Aug. 5.
