“It’s not unusual”: Tim Cone hails Justin Brownlee’s heroics as Gilas reach FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals

Gilas Pilipinas sealed a spot in the quarterfinals of the ongoing 2025 FIBA Asia Cup after defeating hosts Saudi Arabia, 95-88, in overtime at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the early hours of Tuesday, August 12 (Philippine Standard Time).

Gilas secured the win thanks to the performance of star naturalized player Justin Brownlee, who once again stepped up when it mattered most.

Brownlee finished with a team-high 29 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds. The 37-year-old also buried a clutch three-pointer to force a 79-all deadlock in regulation and eventually send the game into overtime.

For Gilas head coach Tim Cone, Brownlee’s heroics were nothing new. His coach has grown accustomed to seeing the naturalized Filipino star deliver in pressure moments.

“It was a special game. It was a special performance by both teams. The home team really came to play and they were phenomenal. It was epic. It really was. They posed a lot of problems for us and, by all rights, they had the game won—except for the guy sitting to my right (Brownlee) who hit the big shots. If you know his history, that’s not unusual. He has been hitting big shots,” Cone said in the post-match press conference.

NEVER SAY DIE 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

UNBELIEVABLE. UNBELIEVABLE GAME-END 🤯 Justin Brownlee keeps Gilas alive and they march onto the Quarter-Finals with an OT win 🔥#AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/uaj1JsSHLf

— FIBA Basketball (@FIBA) August 11, 2025

Cone and Brownlee share a long history, having teamed up to win multiple Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) titles with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel—many of them made possible by Brownlee’s brilliance.

Brownlee has also been at the center of several historic moments for Gilas, including their gold medal run at the 19th Asian Games in 2023, where he played a decisive role in ending the country’s 61-year gold medal drought.

“I’m his coach in his club team, and when we played in the Asian Games, he was hitting big shots, so this is nothing foreign to Justin. Then we came out and played very well in overtime—really got the groove going, got some momentum. But man, what a special game it was,” Cone added.

Despite being the clear difference-maker once again, Brownlee was quick to share the credit with both his teammates and the opposition.

“I agree with the coach, it was a great game. The host team came out and showed great support from the fans, and as a player, these are the games you dream about and look forward to playing. Just got to give credit to both teams. Luckily, we came away with the win and advanced in this tournament,” Brownlee said.

Gilas Pilipinas will face Australia in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, August 13, at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena, and Cone will hope that his star player once again rises to the occasion.

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