Clutch Brownlee helps Gilas eliminate Saudi in FIBA OT thriller

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Don’t dial 911 when an emergency strikes.

All you have to do is press 3 and 2, the jersey digits printed on the back of none other than Justin Brownlee.

During the win-or-go home quarter qualification matchup against Saudi Arabia, Brownlee weaved his magic once again after sinking cold-blooded baskets to knock out the home team in overtime, 95-88, steering the Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball squad to a quarterfinal spot in the ongoing FIBA Asia Cup on Aug. 12, 2025, at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

Down by six points with only 1:25 remaining, Gilas already looked dead in the water and was in dire need of a miracle to pull off a massive come-from-behind win.

In the past close international games, everybody already knew who could turn it up for Gilas, with Brownlee entering a familiar scenario wearing a loose invisible cape in crunch time.

Brownlee kicked off his heroics with a free throw and a fade-away jump shot that trimmed Gilas’ deficit to three points, 77-74.

After a completed defensive stop on the other end, AJ Edu inched Gilas closer by a point after converting a layup off a sweet dime from Dwight Ramos in the last 34 seconds of the final frame.

However, disaster struck the Filipinos when Mohammed Alsuwailem snuck in an offensive tip-in after the miss from Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman which gave Saudi Arabia a 79-76 cushion.

Needing a three with time not on their side, Gilas head coach Tim Cone called a quick timeout with only eight seconds left to map out one golden play.

What he drew was simple.

Give the ball to Brownlee and get out of the way.

After Brownlee received the inbound pass from Scottie Thompson, the ever-reliable naturalized gunner only needed a dribble and a single jab to set up his move.

Two fakes, a little grown-man push off, and swish.

In another FIBA playoff game, Brownlee sank a much-needed hail mary three-pointer to force overtime, cementing his name as one of the most clutch hoopers to ever set foot on the international stage.

It was then all Gilas in the extra period as Kevin Quiambao’s scoring spree built from two treys ignited them to a quick 10-point lead, capped off by AJ Edu’s dagger three in the final 52 seconds of OT.

Although Gilas grabbed the win, Saudi Arabia put up a fight and clawed their way back from a 10-point deficit in the second quarter.

Abdur-Rahkman was a one-man show for Saudi Arabia as the scoring machine went unconscious from downtown, sinking five triples to end the first half on a high note.

Despite getting punched in the mouth, Gilas responded in the second half and received key contributions from Thompson’s hustle plays, Edu’s two-way efficiency, Dwight Ramos’ baskets at the end of the third, and Quiambao’s breakout performance.

Saving the best for last was Brownlee, who took over in the fourth with six clutch points including the three-pointer that forced OT.

Brownlee led Gilas with 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field alongside five assists and four rebounds. Supporting him was Quiambao, who tallied his best game of the tournament with 17 markers.

Job’s not finished for the PHL national team as they are set to face Australia in the quarterfinal round today, at 7 PM.

LABAN PILIPINAS, PUSO!