Gilas Pilipinas Falls to Egypt, Ends Doha Stint 1-2

Gilas Pilipinas concluded its campaign in the 2nd Doha International Cup with an 86-55 loss to Egypt, marking its second consecutive defeat in the tournament at the Qatar University Sports Complex early Monday (Manila time).

The world No. 34 Filipinos wrapped up their stint with one win and two losses, while No. 38 Egypt dominated the friendlies, sweeping all three of its matches.

Gilas started strong, with Dwight Ramos leading an 8-2 opening run, but Egypt quickly responded. A 21-9 second-quarter outburst allowed the North African squad to establish a 39-28 halftime lead.

The Philippines attempted a comeback in the third period, with the Barangay Ginebra duo of Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson trimming the deficit to 49-40.

However, Egypt remained in control, carrying a 57-45 cushion into the final quarter before breaking the game wide open.

Gilas’ Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao hit back-to-back three-pointers early in the fourth, but Ehab Amin Saleh countered with three consecutive triples, pushing Egypt’s lead to 69-50.

Amin Saleh added another long-range bomb before Khaled Abdelnasser Abdelgawad scored two straight baskets, sealing the 31-point rout.

The 6-foot-1 Amin Saleh led Egypt with 20 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals off the bench, while Amr Zahran contributed 12 markers.

Egypt’s dominance in Doha also included convincing wins over Qatar (83-54) and Lebanon (82-70).

Despite the loss, Justin Brownlee was once again Gilas’ top performer, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, and one assist before exiting early in the fourth quarter.

Scottie Thompson, Dwight Ramos, and AJ Edu were limited to six points each, while June Mar Fajardo struggled, managing just five points as the team shot 37% from the field.

Gilas also had trouble from deep, connecting on only 4-of-18 three-point attempts (22%), while committing 16 turnovers.

The Tim Cone-led squad will now return home before heading to Taiwan for the third and final window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

The national team is set to face Chinese Taipei on February 20, followed by a rematch against New Zealand on February 23.

With its Doha stint exposing offensive inconsistencies, Gilas Pilipinas will look to regroup and build momentum heading into crucial qualification matches for the FIBA Asia Cup.