Two tune-up games, two blowout losses. Gilas Pilipinas fell to South Korea again on Sunday, 69-42, sending the defending Asian Games champions to Nagoya with real questions to answer before its title defense tips off.
A second straight rout in Suwon
Back at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena, the same court where it lost 81-55 on Friday, Gilas never found its footing. South Korea jumped out early as Ki Sang Yu scored 12 of his game-high 15 points in the opening period, and the hosts carried a 14-38 lead into halftime. The margin grew to as much as 37 points before the buzzer, per the game recap.
Gilas managed just 28 points after the break. Across the two friendlies, South Korea outscored the Philippines 150-97, a combined 53-point gap that has put a young, all-Filipino side on the back foot.
Scoreboard
Halftime and final from Sunday’s tune-up:
| Team | Halftime | Final |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 38 | 69 |
| Gilas Pilipinas | 14 | 42 |
Who scored
With the offense sputtering, only six Gilas players found the basket. Magnolia high-flyer Zav Lucero led the way with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Adrian Nocum added nine. Sedrick Barefield and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser each had seven, and Justine Baltazar was held scoreless but grabbed 10 boards. Robert Bolick was among five Gilas players shut out, as GMA News reported.
| Player | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Ki Sang Yu | South Korea | 15 |
| Jun Seok Yeo | South Korea | 14 |
| Zav Lucero | Gilas Pilipinas | 14 |
| Adrian Nocum | Gilas Pilipinas | 9 |
| Sedrick Barefield | Gilas Pilipinas | 7 |
| Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser | Gilas Pilipinas | 7 |
What it means before the Asiad
Gilas now flies to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with back-to-back losses to the same opponent and the naturalized-forward question still unresolved: Justin Brownlee’s roster spot is reserved, but his return is unconfirmed as he works back from leg and hamstring issues.
The rebuilt core that Tim Cone shaped for a faster, tower-less style opens its title defense on Sept. 11 against Bahrain, then meets Kazakhstan and China on Sept. 14. For a squad that swept its last World Cup qualifying window and escaped Jordan in overtime in August, the Suwon slump is the first real test of whether that plan holds against Asia’s elite.
