Disaster was averted for Gilas Pilipinas, avoiding an early exit in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup with a much-needed 66-57 win over Iraq held in King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
The victory keeps Philippines alive and sends them to the qualification stage, where they will face either host Saudi Arabia or Jordan for a spot in the quarterfinals.
True to their form in this tournament, Gilas started sluggishly on both ends.
Offensively, they struggled to create good looks, while defensively, they were once again punished from deep -- allowing Iraq to shoot 46.2% (6-of-13) from beyond the arc in the first half. Ali Ismael caught fire early and finished the game with 13 points on three triples converted.
Justin Brownlee, the team's best scorer in their first two games, was hounded by multiple defenders every time he touched the ball. The pressure limited him to just a single point in the opening half without a made field goal, forcing Gilas to look for other sources of offense.
The turning point came in the second quarter when Tim Cone shifted his approach, prioritizing floor spacing to break Iraq's zone.
Carl Tamayo was deployed at the five, flanked by energy bunnies like Kevin Quiambao and CJ Perez. This alignment allowed Gilas to move the ball more freely and attack gaps in the defense, transforming a six-point deficit into a tie at halftime.
The success of this smaller, more mobile lineup also convinced the coaching staff to abandon the two-big pairing of June Mar Fajardo and AJ Edu for the majority of the second half.
With the floor opened up, Gilas found their offensive rhythm.
Dwight Ramos led the charge, delivering an all-around gem with 21 points and five rebounds on 64.8% true shooting. Ramos mixed strong drives to the rim with knockdown spot-up shooting, capitalizing on the paint touches created by Scottie Thompson's relentless penetration.
Edu also thrived as the lone big in these spaced-out lineups, contributing nine points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a two-way performance that anchored Gilas inside.
Brownlee, though far from his usual production, still found ways to impact the game, helping merely as a threat to Iraq's defense, but just finished with eight points on a lowly 31.1 TS%.
It wasn't a pretty win at all for the Philippines. Gilas still showed many of the same flaws that have plagued them throughout the tournament: slow starts, inconsistent perimeter defense, and overreliance on individual creation.
But in a do-or-die situation, they did just enough to grind out the result. The adjustments in lineup spacing, the rise of secondary scorers, and timely defensive stops down the stretch ensured they lived to fight another day.
Now, with their Asia Cup life hanging by a thread, they'll need to find another gear against a tougher opponent if they want to keep this run going.