Brownlee, Sotto lead as Gilas ends losing streak vs. New Zealand

Photo source: FIBA

The losing streak is over. The Philippines finally scored a monumental win against new continental adversary New Zealand to improve their record in the 2025 FIBA Asia Qualifiers to 3-0 following an impressive 93-89 victory on Thursday, November 21, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

After losing their previous four games to New Zealand dating back to 2016 by an average margin of nearly 30 points a game, Gilas relied on the brilliance of Justin Brownlee, Kai Sotto, and Scottie Thompson to spearhead their remarkable outing against the visiting squad in front of a packed passionate crowd in Pasay.

New Zealand had no answer for the Philippines dominant in the paint. Although their opponents were on-point with their outside shooting all throughout the game, Gilas still found ways to stay in control and roder their momentum all the way to a victory.

Brownlee: 26 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists
Sotto: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists
Thompson: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists