New Zealand notched their second win in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup with a 94-86 win over the Philippines on Thursday at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Tall Blacks led by as many as 18 points and had enough gas in their tank to hold off a fiery, Justin Brownlee-led Gilas fightback to improve to 2-0 and tie Chinese-Taipei for the top spot in Group D.
Jordan Ngatai led New Zealand with 22 points on a 5-of-5 clip from the 3-point line. Taylor Britt added 19 points and seven assists and was instrumental in the Tall Blacks offensive attack in the fourth quarter to fend off Gilas’ comeback attempt.
Justin Brownlee’s heroics not enough
Brownlee fired a game-high 37 points, which included seven three-pointers.
He spearheaded the Filipinos’ second-half assault that reduced the deficit to three in the fourth period.
But Britt, Ngatai and Mojave King delivered in the clutch to seal the victory for the Tall Blacks, who will conclude their group stage stint with a matchup with fellow unbeaten team Chinese-Taipei.
Dwight Ramos added 19 points for the Philippines while June Mar Fajardo added 11 markers.
Gilas will attempt to secure a pre-quarterfinals ticket as they’ll take on fellow winless squad Iraq on Saturday.
Surprise Chinese-Taipei five beat Iraq
In other games, Lin Ting-Chien poured 16 of his 22 points in the third quarter to help Chinese-Taipei past Iraq, 87-60, and secure a tie for the top spot in Group D.
Lin fired 13 quick points to help Chinese-Taipei build a 20-point edge and his triple handed them a 63-41 advantage.
Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga added 13 points on a perfect shooting night for Gianluca Tucci’s side.
Abdullah Hayder Alibraheemi led Iraq with 15 points and six rebounds.
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China overwhelm India to lead group
China beat India, 100-69, to move closer to an automatic quarterfinal ticket in the FIBA Asia Cup. Hu Mingxuan scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the 3-point line as Team Dragon showed their might against their Indian counterparts.
Five other Chinese players scored in double figures. Zhao Jiayi finished with 17 points while Wang Junjie and Cheng Shuaipeng added 13 markers each for China.
Big man Hu Jinqiu put up a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds while Liao Sanbning contributed 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists in an all-around outing for Team Dragon, who dropped 15 3-pointers and shot 53.5 percent from the field.
Arvind Muthu Krishnan led India with 16 points in the loss. Pranav Prince and Sahaij Sekhon added 14 points apiece.
Hosts Saudi Arabia surprise Jordan
Saudi Arabia upset Jordan, 77-73, to notch their first win in Group C action. The hosts used a 27-14 surge in the second quarter to move ahead 48-31 at the half.
The Falcons tried to mount a rally in the second half but the Saudis had enough offensive firepower to take home the win and move closer to at least a slot in the pre-quarterfinals phase.
Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman led the Saudis with 25 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals while Mo Alsuwailem notched a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds, as well as six blocks.
Freddy Ibrahim and Ahmad Alhamarsheh, meanwhile, led Jordan (1-1) with 19 points each. Yazan Al Taweel added 13 points while Abdullah Olajuwon, the son of FIBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, came up with 10 points, three rebounds and one steal.
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