New Zealand head coach Judd Flavell expected a highly physical contest against Gilas Pilipinas, and that’s exactly what his team encountered on Thursday, resulting in their first loss to the Filipinos since 2016.
Behind standout performances from Justin Brownlee and Kai Sotto, Gilas secured a hard-fought 93-89 victory over the visiting Tall Blacks in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
“We knew it’s gonna be a tough contest,” said Flavell, a former player of ex-Gilas coach Tab Baldwin.
“(The) Philippines are a very polished outfit. Their players are very structured on offense and very big, very physical. We knew this coming into the game.”
Corey Webster, who tallied 25 points but couldn’t carry the Tall Blacks to victory, expressed regret over losing their lead.
The Tall Blacks were ahead by as many as 12 points at one stage, thanks to their strong outside shooting.
“They have covered it. We had our chances in the game; a couple of times we had a good lead… we let that slip,” he said.
Webster also noted that playing against a hostile crowd contributed to their struggles.
“It’s a tough game in an international audience,” he said.
With three wins, Gilas Pilipinas is now a step closer to securing an outright berth in next year’s FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The post We knew it would be a tough contest vs Gilas, says NZ coach first appeared on Fastbreak.
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