MANILA, Philippines — There was no silver lining for Tim Cone despite Gilas Pilipinas’ narrow 69-66 loss to New Zealand in the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Filipinos held the Tall Blacks under 70 points and played aggressive defense, even without 7-foot-3 center Kai Sotto, who did not suit up for undisclosed reasons. Team Philippines had won their previous meeting in 2024, but New Zealand has taken seven of the last eight encounters over the past decade.
Cone, the winningest coach in the PBA and leader of Gilas’ historic Asian Games victory in 2024, refused to find comfort in the close score. “We’re not going to feel good or take pride in the fact that we got close or we almost won or whatever,” he said.
Thursday’s loss leaves Gilas’ path to the second round uncertain, now hinging on Guam upsetting Australia and New Zealand. Cone emphasized that the team’s focus remains on winning their own games, saying, “We’re here to win. We showed up to win and we didn’t do that tonight.”