TIM Cone credited Gilas Pilipinas’ defensive adjustments for turning the tide in its thrilling 82-81 overtime victory over Jordan in the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Philippines absorbed an early 18-point deficit before fighting back and eventually securing the win in overtime, with Cone admitting that the result felt especially satisfying after Gilas had previously found itself on the wrong side of close World Cup qualifying games.
“It was fantastic. It was fun to be a part of it. It was fun to be on this side of it,” Cone said.
“I know how tough it is when it gets to a close game. We were on the other side of it before an overtime game and losing these really, really important World Cup qualifiers. So it’s good to be on this side of it.”
Jordan came out aggressively and built a 28-14 lead after the first quarter, forcing Cone to abandon his initial plan of using Gilas’ bigger lineup.
“I really believe in our big lineup. We tried to go out there and overpower them, but it didn’t work as well. So we had to make the adjustment and we went smaller and quicker,” Cone explained.
That adjustment helped change the tempo, with CJ Perez leading the charge by repeatedly attacking the basket.
“CJ led the charge. He was able to get to the rim and really change the tempo of the game,” Cone said.
Cone also pointed to Carl Tamayo’s buzzer-beating shot before halftime as an important confidence boost for the team heading into the second half.
The Philippines continued to chip away at Jordan’s lead before forcing overtime at 72-all.
In the extra period, Kevin Quiambao gave Gilas an 82-79 advantage with a clutch three-pointer off Perez’s unselfish pass, before Kai Sotto sealed the victory with a game-saving block in the final seconds.
Cone said both plays highlighted the importance of teamwork in the final stretch.
“Kai came up and made that huge block at the end to win it for us. But that was just before CJ made that really great, unselfish pass to KQ for the three,” Cone said.
“It wasn’t just CJ going to the basket. He impacted the game in many areas.”
The Gilas coach also singled out Perez, Scottie Thompson and Dwight Ramos for their defensive work against Jordan’s main scorers Jalen Harris and Freddy Ibrahim.
“Scottie, CJ, and Dwight did a great job defending Jalen Harris,” Cone said. “Ibrahim was lights out in the first half, but we got him under control in the second.”
For Cone, that defensive improvement ultimately made the difference. “Their defense really turned the tide and kept those two guys under control,” Cone added.
Gilas will now look to build on the comeback win when it faces Iran on Sunday, hoping to turn its dramatic win over Jordan into a much-needed winning run. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
