MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas found a way to survive a tense overtime battle against Jordan, securing an 82-81 victory Friday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to open its second-round campaign in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.
With Justin Brownlee sidelined, the Philippines leaned on several players to produce at the right time, none bigger than Kevin Quiambao, Kai Sotto and CJ Perez in the extra period.
The hard-earned win ended Gilas Pilipinas’ four-game slide and improved its record to 3-4 in Pool E, keeping the Philippines within striking distance in the race for a World Cup berth.
Jordan, meanwhile, fell to 5-2.
The visitors seemed poised to steal the game after Jalen Harris gave Jordan a 78-74 cushion with a jumper with 1:53 left in overtime.
Gilas responded with a 5-0 surge.
AJ Edu first split his free throws before Perez drove aggressively to the basket for two points. Sotto then cleaned up a missed Quiambao triple, giving the Philippines its first lead of the extra period at 79-78 with 41.5 seconds remaining.
Jordan quickly drew level after Harris was fouled while attacking the basket. With Harris unable to take the resulting free throws, Omar Salman stepped in but could only make one, tying the score at 79 with 30.6 seconds on the clock.
That set the stage for Quiambao.
The forward made up for an earlier miss from the same area by drilling a three-pointer with just 11.7 seconds left, putting Gilas ahead 82-79.
Jordan had one last chance to steal the game but Sotto’s presence inside proved decisive. The 7-foot-3 center challenged Olajuwon’s final attempt and helped preserve the Philippine lead as the clock ran out.
The result gave Gilas a much-needed boost following four consecutive defeats to Australia and New Zealand during the first round.
Sotto also made a significant impact in his return to the national team, supplying size, rebounding and interior defense as Gilas competed without Brownlee.
Carl Tamayo was forced out of the game in the third quarter after suffering a left-leg injury in a collision. He had scored eight points before leaving.
Gilas will have little time to celebrate, with Iran next on the schedule at 8pm Sunday at the same venue.
Iran also owns a 5-2 record, making the matchup another critical test for the Philippines in its bid to reach the 2027 FIBA World Cup. (Adrian Co)
