Gilas topples Guam for a rousing FIBA WC Asian qualifiers start

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Gilas Pilipinas Men’s National Basketball Team had all the reasons to smile after demolishing Guam on the road, 87–46, during the first window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Nov. 28, 2025, at the Calvo Fieldhouse in Guam.

Despite setting foot in uncharted territory, the retooled Gilas squad spoiled Guam’s aspirations of delivering a sweet win in front of their home crowd, pummeling them for three straight quarters after a tightly contested opening frame.

A tweaked starting five rotation surprised Guam, with the 1–2 frontcourt punch of the debuting Quentin Millora-Brown and mainstay June Mar Fajardo doing wonders in securing several offensive rebounds for the PHL national team.

However, a slow start haunted Gilas from a commanding first-quarter outing that would’ve set the tempo early in the game, with Guam scoring buckets from everywhere that turned the clash into a mano-a-mano affair.

Guam even took a slim 25–24 advantage at the start of the second quarter, but Gilas was quick to turn the tables with a demoralizing 16–4 scoring run to cap off the first two periods with an 11-point lead, 40–29.

From there, Gilas never looked back as they ran down Guam in the third quarter with a balanced attack from the guard rotation, highlighted by an 18–0 run for the early exclamation point.

What was once a see-saw affair turned into a lopsided showing in just a quarter, as Gilas ballooned its biggest lead of the ball game to as much as 44 points late in the third frame.

Without any offensive spark from the utilized 10-man rotation, Guam played out the final canto without any sense of urgency and just allowed Gilas to execute and inflict more damage.

Although the Brown–Fajardo connection wasn’t felt on the offensive side, the decision to deploy the huge frontcourt was a key strategy for head coach Tim Cone that forced Guam to settle for a barrage of outside shots.

As a result, Guam’s offensive execution slowed down midway through the second quarter, with their total three-point shooting output going from promising to dismal, with a clip of 14.7%.

Gilas also outrebounded Guam by a wide margin, 61–36—a vital piece to what became an easy puzzle to solve once the Filipino hoopers collected the defensive boards and ran their sets with efficiency.

Justin Brownlee never lost a step as Gilas’ main gunner after top-scoring the game with 22 points, alongside two rebounds and two assists.

Joining Brownlee in the double-digit scorers’ column was steady guard Dwight Ramos, chipping in 10 markers built from an efficient 5-of-10 shooting from the field. Meanwhile, the debuting Brown put up an impressive all-around effort of six points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

Gilas will seek to repeat its dominant clinic on Guam today, as they meet again for their second scheduled game of the WC qualifiers—this time, in front of thousands of their Filipino fans at home.