Gilas Pilipinas slipped three places to No. 39 in the latest FIBA men’s world rankings after failing to win a game during the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
The Philippines absorbed a 106-102 double-overtime loss to New Zealand before suffering a lopsided 92-49 defeat to Australia, ending the third window without a victory.
The setback also saw Gilas fall to seventh in the Asia-Oceania rankings, behind Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, China and Lebanon.
The national squad advanced to the second round of the qualifiers with a 2-4 record after opening its campaign with a two-game sweep of Guam but losing its next four matches.
Australia remained the highest-ranked team in the region at No. 7 in the world, followed by Japan (No. 22), New Zealand (No. 25), Iran (No. 26), China (No. 30) and Lebanon (No. 31). Estonia climbed to No. 36, while Côte d’Ivoire and Ukraine occupied the 37th and 38th spots, respectively.
Despite the setbacks, Gilas remains in contention for a spot in the 2027 FIBA World Cup.
The Philippines carried its 2-4 record into Group E of the second round, where it will compete against Australia, New Zealand, Jordan, Iran and Syria. Gilas resumes its campaign against Jordan on Aug. 28 before taking on Iran on Aug. 30.
The top three teams in Group E will earn outright berths to the 2027 FIBA World Cup. If Gilas finishes fourth, it must post a better record than the fourth-placed team in Group F to claim the remaining qualifying spot.
After the August window, the Philippines will face Syria and Iran in November before closing its qualifying campaign against Syria and Jordan in February 2027.
The post Gilas Pilipinas drops to no. 39 in latest FIBA world rankings first appeared on Fastbreak.
PLDT High Speed Hitters opened its Premier Volleyball League (PVL) On Tour campaign with a 25-21, 20-25, 29-27, 25-18 victory over Choco Mucho Flying Titans on Saturday night at the Chavit Coliseum in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur.
The defending champion High Speed Hitters were pushed to four sets by the Flying Titans before relying on their veteran core to secure their first win of the preseason tournament.
Kim Kianna Dy led PLDT with 17 points, including the match-winning attack that capped the two-hour, 18-minute contest. Savi Davison added 13 points, while Mika Reyes contributed 12. Majoy Baron, Alleiah Malaluan and Kiesha Bedonia chipped in 10, nine and seven points, respectively.
PLDT appeared headed for a comfortable third-set victory after building a 16-8 lead, but Choco Mucho rallied to erase the deficit and eventually tied the score at 24-all to force an extended battle.
The Flying Titans even moved within a point of taking the set after Molde gave her team a 26-25 advantage. However, PLDT successfully challenged for a block touch, overturning the point before Reyes delivered back-to-back quick attacks to regain the lead.
Malaluan then sealed the marathon third set with a down-the-line winner, giving the High Speed Hitters a 2-1 advantage.
PLDT carried that momentum into the fourth set, breaking away from a close contest behind the combined efforts of Dy, Malaluan and Bedonia. The defending champions gradually widened the gap before closing out the match.
Caitlyn Viray paced the Flying Titans with 16 points, while Isa Molde added 14. Jewel Encarnacion finished with 10 markers, Mean Mendez scored eight, and Ayesha Juegos contributed six. They dropped to 0-2.
The post PLDT outlasts Choco Mucho to open PVL on Tour title defense first appeared on Fastbreak.
