Gilas Pilipinas rallies from 21 points down to win tune-up game vs Macau Black Bears

The Philippine men’s basketball national team’s tune-up game for the upcoming 2025 FIBA Asia Cup ended in the best possible way, as they secured a 103–98 victory at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Monday, July 28.

Gilas Pilipinas’ star naturalized player Justin Brownlee once again led from the front, marking his return to competitive action by recording 32 points and sparking a 21-point comeback with 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Brownlee, playing his first game for Gilas since suffering a dislocated thumb during the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, also added 15 rebounds and five assists. He received strong support from Dwight Ramos, who contributed 19 points, four rebounds, and six assists, while AJ Edu and Kevin Quiambao added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

The win was a relief for both the players and head coach Tim Cone, especially after trailing by as many as 21 points following a poor first half.

“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. I thought we had two really good weeks of practice, even though we didn’t have a full crew. With those two weeks of practice, we’ve got to be able to execute a little bit better,” Cone said in the post-match press conference.

Cone was without key players June Mar Fajardo and Calvin Oftana, opting to rest them following their grueling schedule in the PBA Philippine Cup. Fajardo played through a calf issue in the finals, while Oftana suffered multiple injuries, including sprains to both ankles.

FINAL: Gilas Pilipinas completes comeback from a 21-point deficit against Macau Black Bears, 103-98, in send-off tune-up match.

Gilas flies to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. | via @bryanulanday pic.twitter.com/VPuD4LInwg

— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) July 28, 2025

The American tactician had only 11 players regularly training, as Rhenz Abando and Zavier Lucero also missed practices due to other commitments.

Cone added that his final lineup would come from the current pool, although no definitive decision has been made yet.

“Those are certainly concerns, all those nicks. We’ve got to figure out a way to manage this and get things done. But I think the biggest issue is that we’ve got a lot of players who just finished a really long season and are completely worn out. Then you’ve got guys like AJ, Dwight, and Justin who still need to get into shape. So we’ve got to push those guys and rest the others, and then later on, add June Mar, CJ, and Calvin to the team—without really any practice,” he concluded.

Gilas Pilipinas is scheduled to fly to Jeddah on Wednesday, July 30, and will face Jordan in a friendly on Saturday, August 2. They have been drawn into Group D of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup alongside Iraq, New Zealand, and Chinese Taipei. Gilas will open their campaign against Chinese Taipei on August 6.

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