Gilas Pilipinas annihilates Kazakhstan for first Asian Games win

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball team entered the winning column of the 20th Asian Games after crushing Kazakhstan 109-78 on Sept. 12, 2026, at the Aichi International Arena in Japan.

Fresh off a heartbreaking loss to Bahrain, the Filipino hoopers successfully regrouped against Kazakhstan, bagging a much-needed win to keep their Asian Games men’s basketball title defense alive.

The performance was a complete contrast to their opening loss against Bahrain, when Gilas went cold from 3-point range, converting only 10 of their 34 attempts.

In their game against Kazakhstan, Gilas went berserk and waxed hot from rainbow territory, shooting an efficient 16-of-29, which proved to be the difference-maker in the win.

The trio of Jerrick Ahanmisi, Robert Bolick, and Sedrick Barefield stole the show, combining to shoot 14-of-22 from downtown to bounce back from a dismal outing in their opening loss.

Bolick kicked off Gilas’ performance on a high note, setting the tone early with trifectas from the elbows, backstopped by Barefield’s offensive production upon checking in.

However, it was Ahanmisi who stood out the most as he hosted an insane 3-point party from start to finish. After failing to enter the scoring column in their debut, the young sniper unloaded seven threes and torched Kazakhstan’s sloppy defense.

Ahanmisi drained most of his shots while wide open, thanks to Gilas’ off-the-curl plays that fed the hot hand of the San Miguel Beermen shooter.

Despite Kazakhstan doubling down on its defensive effort to slow Gilas’ 3-point shooting, Ahanmisi didn’t cool down and inflicted more damage in the final quarter.

Ahanmisi capped his performance with a team-high 22 points, while Bolick and Barefield chipped in 20 and 11 markers, respectively.

Calvin Oftana, Gilas’ last-minute replacement and the hero against Bahrain, delivered 12 points, along with four rebounds and two assists.

A tough test lies ahead for the Filipinos as they are scheduled to take on the imposing Chinese national basketball team on Monday, which is fresh off a one-sided 105-59 win over Bahrain.