MANILA, Philippines – Tim Cone lamented missed chances down the stretch as Gilas Pilipinas’ fourth-quarter comeback fizzled out in an 87-70 road loss to New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers on Sunday, February 23.
Down by as many as 28 points, the Philippines threatened an upheaval in the final period but ran out of steam as it ended its campaign with back-to-back losses for a 4-2 record.
“We had our opportunities to get the game tighter, but we just could not make a big shot here or there, maybe we would have gotten the game a little closer. But as it turned out, they ran away from it,” said Cone.
The Filipinos already chopped their deficit to 19 going into the last frame, 55-74, and inched within 11 points, 66-77, as Chris Newsome sparked a 11-3 start in the quarter, scoring 4 points and assisting on a Justin Brownlee layup.
With over six minutes remaining, the visitors had ample time to complete their comeback.
But the Philippines missed all of its next 8 field goals, including 4 three-point attempts, and turned the ball over twice as the Tall Blacks sealed the win with a 10-4 run.
Except for a few moments in the second quarter, New Zealand looked in a comfortable position, thanks in large part to a blistering first quarter that saw it mount a 30-15 lead.
“The Tall Blacks came out and just smashed us early. They gave us as a smashed mouth in the first quarter and we just really never recovered. They came out all guns firing,” said Cone.
“We were just playing off on our heels the whole game, just trying to recover back from that early barrage.”
The win allowed the Tall Blacks to improve to 5-1 and claim the top spot in Group B, which will play a part in the draw for the Asia Cup.
“We knew they were going to be great coming in, we knew they were going to be excited about defending their home court,” said Cone.
“None of that really surprises us, we just wish we could have played a little better and give it a little bit better fight.”
Riding on a four-game skid counting its losses in the Doha International Cup in Qatar, the Philippines seeks to regroup before it plunges back to action in the Asia Cup to be hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in August. – Rappler.com