CHRIS Newsome believes Gilas Pilipinas’ biggest takeaway from its 68-56 victory over Iran was not just the win, but how the team finished the game on the defensive end.
The Philippines overcame another slow start and pulled away in the second half to complete a perfect fourth window in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“Today was a good second game for us,” Newsome said. “It’s really hard whenever you’re playing back-to-back games like that, but we were able to pull through.”
Gilas trailed Iran, 18-7, after the opening quarter before fighting back to take a 36-34 lead at halftime.
Newsome said the home crowd also gave the team extra motivation to respond after the slow start.
“It’s a home game, so we want to really make sure that we’re there for the crowd,” he said.
The Philippines eventually built enough of a cushion in the second half and focused on maintaining the pressure instead of simply protecting its lead.
“Once we got that lead, we tried to hold on to that lead. Of course, not play to lose, but we really wanted to keep the pressure on them,” Newsome said.
That approach allowed Gilas to force Iran into difficult situations while its defense took over down the stretch.
“We got that little spread and we forced them into tough situations and our defense did the rest of the work,” added Newsome.
For Newsome, that defensive effort was the most encouraging part of the victory.
“I think that’s the thing I’m most proud of is how our defense held up today,” he said.
Juan Gomez de Liaño and Dwight Ramos led the Philippines with 16 points apiece, while Kai Sotto added 13 points and 16 rebounds.
The victory moved Gilas to 4-4 in Pool E and completed its sweep of Jordan and Iran in the fourth window. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
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