PASAY CITY, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas completed a two-game sweep of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers’ fourth window with a 68-56 victory over Iran on Sunday night.
Like its win over Jordan on Friday, the Philippines overcame a slow start before taking control late. Gilas closed the game with a 14-2 run to even its record at 2-2 in Group E and end a two-game losing streak against Iran.
The victory also erased a long-standing frustration for the Philippines, which had lost its previous two FIBA meetings with Iran, including a 78-70 defeat in the 2019 World Cup Qualifiers in November 2018.
That game also took place at the Mall of Asia Arena, where the Philippines lost to Iran in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship final.
This time, Gilas made sure history did not repeat itself.
“I’m lost for words. That’s really unusual for me. I’m not usually at a loss for words, but I’m extremely happy,” coach Tim Cone said.
Cone recalled telling Kai Sotto before the game that winning both games in the window would make him “the happiest guy in the world.”
“Right now, I’m the happiest guy in the world,” Cone said.
Young stars lead the way
Dwight Ramos and Juan Gomez de Liano led the Philippines with 16 points each, combining for 10 rebounds as Gilas found its rhythm on offense in the fourth quarter.
Sotto added 13 points and 16 rebounds for another double-double, while AJ Edu contributed eight points, eight rebounds, and three of the team’s four blocks.
The performances of Sotto and Edu gave Gilas a strong presence in the frontcourt, particularly with naturalized player Justin Brownlee unavailable.
“These are two really, really high-level international teams, Iran especially,” Cone said. “I read something on the FIBA website yesterday that this is only the third win we’ve had against them in the last 13 games.”
“And we were able to do it all-Filipino,” he added.
A fitting sendoff for Fajardo
The victory also gave Gilas a memorable sendoff for veteran center June Mar Fajardo, who ended his 13-year international career after the game.
Fajardo, a three-time World Cup campaigner, played seven minutes and scored six points with two rebounds. His second-quarter impact helped Gilas recover from an 18-7 deficit in the opening period.
“That was huge,” Cone said of Fajardo’s contribution. “When he got the ball and made that turn and landed that jump hook, the crowd went absolutely crazy. And that kinda gave us that lift going into halftime.”
“That really elevated the crowd and elevated the whole team,” Cone added. “We all got excited about that. And he did a good job defensively, too. They tried to attack him a few times, and he did a good job defensively.”
Iran runs out of answers
Mobin Sheikhi led Iran with 21 points, including five 3-pointers on eight attempts, but the guard and the rest of the Iranian offense faded after Mohammad Amini tied the game at 54 with 7:18 remaining.
Ramos put Gilas ahead for good with a 3-pointer. Sotto then scored on a putback after Edu’s miss before Ramos added a tough fallaway jumper to cap a 7-0 run and give the Philippines a 61-54 lead with less than four minutes left.
Sheikhi answered with another 3-pointer, but it proved to be Iran’s final basket.
Sotto, Edu and Ramos combined to spark another 7-0 run as Gilas pulled away and secured its second straight victory.
The loss left Iran 0-2 in the fourth window, its first winless window of the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers after the team went 5-1 in the first round. FIBA/FROM THE WIRES
