Gilas Pilipinas opened its road back to the Asian Games with a thud, falling 81-55 to a red-hot South Korea in the first of two tune-ups Friday night in Suwon. For a young, all-Filipino side built to defend the gold it won in Hangzhou, the scoreboard mattered less than the lessons, and there were plenty to take home before Game 2 on Sunday.
How the game slipped away
South Korea jumped out to a 24-18 lead after the opening quarter and stretched it to 45-33 at halftime at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena. The Koreans pulled further clear in the second half, holding Gilas to just 11 points in each of the final two quarters while pouring in 24 in the fourth.
The home side was sharpshooting throughout. Lee Junghyun torched Gilas for 27 points on seven three-pointers, and his three straight triples early in the fourth snuffed out any comeback hopes after the Philippines had crept to within 57-46. Korea came in sharp from a split of its FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers window, where it lost to Lebanon but beat Saudi Arabia.
| Quarter | South Korea | Gilas Pilipinas |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 24 | 18 |
| 2nd | 21 | 15 |
| Halftime | 45 | 33 |
| Final | 81 | 55 |
Baltazar the bright spot on an all-Filipino night
With naturalized stalwarts left off this Korea trip, the load fell on a younger core, and Justine Baltazar answered. He finished as the Philippines’ top scorer with 15 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, with Adrian Nocum adding 10. Robert Bolick, one of the veterans expected to steady the backcourt, struggled to just two points on 1-of-8 shooting.
Top scorers on both sides:
- South Korea: Lee Junghyun 27, Lee W.S. 10, Yeo J.S. 8, Moon Y.H. 8, Daniel 7
- Gilas Pilipinas: Baltazar 15, Nocum 10, Ganuelas-Rosser 7, Arana 6, Trollano 5, Ahanmisi 5
What it means before Nagoya
Head coach Tim Cone brought an 11-man, all-Filipino group to this Korea leg, carrying over only RJ Abarrientos, Justin Arana and Baltazar from the crew that swept the last qualifying window. The biggest lingering question remains naturalized forward Justin Brownlee, whose roster spot is reserved but whose return is unconfirmed as he works back from leg and hamstring issues. Gilas has said it can defend its crown either way.
Game 2 and the road to Aichi-Nagoya
Gilas will look to bounce back against the same Korean team on Sunday to close the tune-up series, then fly straight to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where the men’s basketball tournament opens in mid-September. The Philippines enter as the defending champion, and a second chance at the Koreans on Sunday gives Tim Cone’s rebuilt side a quick shot at the answer.
