Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “Dwight Ramos”

Sotto, Ramos Lead Gilas Pilipinas to Crucial Home Win Over Iran (68 – 56)

August 31, 2026
Sotto, Ramos Lead Gilas Pilipinas to Crucial Home Win Over Iran (68 – 56)

In a high-stakes clash during the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Gilas Pilipinas erased an early 13-point deficit to defeat long-time regional rival Iran, 68–56, before a raucous crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Philippines turned a slow start into a decisive victory, driven by a dominant second-half defensive lockdown and a late 14–2 run.

Kai Sotto served as the ultimate game-changer for Gilas, posting a monster double-double with 13 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and a game-high 22 efficiency rating while dominating the paint. Dwight Ramos sparked the initial comeback by scoring seven consecutive points late in the second quarter, finishing tied with Juan Gómez de Liaño for a team-high 16 points along with 7 rebounds and 2 steals.

The victory improves Gilas Pilipinas to a 4–4 record in Group E. More importantly, it narrows the gap between the Philippines and the upper-tier teams—putting Gilas just one win behind both Jordan and Iran (5–3). Psychologically, sweeping this home window provides momentum and proves the squad’s tactical execution under pressure.

Full game highlights

Gilas Path to Direct World Cup Qualification
To earn direct entry into the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar, Gilas Pilipinas must navigate the following conditions in the upcoming qualifier windows;

  • Secure a Top-3 Group E Finish: Asia-Oceania gets 7 direct slots outside host Qatar. Gilas must overtake either Jordan or Iran to grab the 3rd seed, or finish as the highest-ranked 4th-place team across Group E and Group F.
  • Capitalize on Crossover Matches: Gilas must sweep remaining matchups against lower-ranked teams like Syria and steal key road games against Iran and Jordan in upcoming windows.
  • Protect Point Differential: FIBA tiebreakers rely heavily on head-to-head records and net point margins, making every point crucial in close Group E standings.

The fifth window of the second round is set from the November 27th thru the 30th, where the Philippines will face Syria and Iran.

Gilas Pilipinas Stunned by Chinese Taipei in FIBA Asia Cup Opener in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

August 7, 2025

In a stunning turn of events at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Gilas Pilipinas suffered a disappointing 95-87 loss to Chinese Taipei in their opening game. The Philippine national team was on the back foot from the start, trailing by as much as 17 points in the first quarter and struggling to contain a hot-shooting Chinese Taipei squad.

Despite a valiant comeback effort, Gilas couldn’t overcome the early deficit. Justin Brownlee led the charge with 19 points before fouling out in the final minutes, a major blow to the team’s rally. Kevin Quiambao provided a spark off the bench with 17 points, while Scottie Thompson and Dwight Ramos added 12 points apiece, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. Chinese Taipei’s Chen Ying-Chun was the star of the show, erupting for a game-high 34 points, including six triples, to seal the victory. The loss puts Gilas in a difficult position as they now face a must-win situation against New Zealand in their next match.

Full Game High Lights:

Gilas Pilipinas lost to Georgia but Secures Semi-Finals of FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

July 4, 2024
Gilas Pilipinas lost to Georgia but Secures Semi-Finals of FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers
Image: FIBA

The Philippine national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, fell to Georgia in a close match during their FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers game on Thursday. Despite the loss, Gilas secured their spot in the Semi-Finals round. Georgia needed a victory by at least 19 points to advance themselves.

Georgia came out strong in the first quarter, going on a dominant 16-0 run. Gilas clawed their way back, but Georgia still held a commanding 20-point lead (40-20) in the second quarter. However, Gilas refused to give up. They closed the gap with a 12-0 run before halftime and carried that momentum into the third quarter. With just 75 seconds remaining in the third period, Gilas even took their first lead of the game at 71-70.

Gilas Pilipinas trailed for most of the fourth. However, they kept the score close, forcing Georgia shot some “hail-mary” threes. Georgia even tried to extend the game to overtime but Goga Bitadze missed a put back on Philippines court, after Chris Newsome missed both of his free throw with just 2.8 seconds remaining in the game.

Just like their game against Latvia, Justin Brownless lead the team with 28 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Followed by Dwight Ramos and CJ Peres who scored 16 points and 14 points, respectively.

On Georgia’s side, even with their contribution, it was not enough for them to carry the team to the next stage of the tournament; Tornike Shengelia (17 points and 7 rebounds), Goga Bitadze (21 points and 9 rebounds), and Sandro Mamukelashvili (26 points and 7 rebounds).

Gilas Pilipinas will either play Brazil or Montenegro from GROUP B.

Gila Pilipinas upset Latvia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

July 3, 2024
Gila Pilipinas upset Latvia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Image: FIBA

The Philippines National Basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, kicked off their FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament campaign in dramatic fashion with an upset victory over host nation Latvia on Wednesday. The final score: 89-80.

This is Philippines first win against a European team in an official FIBA competition since 1960, snapping a 64-year winless streak. The victory comes despite the absence of NBA player Jordan Clarkson, highlighting the depth and resilience of the Gilas Pilipinas squad.

Gilas Pilipinas started the game on an 8-0 run, then Latvia made a run at 21-16, but Gilas ended the 1st quarter on a 11-0 run punctuated by a clutch buzzer-beater by CJ Perez.

In the 2nd quarter, Latvia tried to make a run, but both teams managed to cancel each other out by scoring 22 points in the second period. In the second half, Latvia managed to make the game interesting by limiting Gilas to just 12 points in the final quarter. However, the 16-point lead that Gilas built in the first quarter proved too much for Latvia to overcome. The only consolation for the Latvian National Team is that they have already qualified for the semi-finals, unless Gilas wins by 28 points or more.

Justin Brownlee spearheaded Glias’ offense, scoring a game-high 26 points. He also contributed significantly with 9 rebounds and 9 assists, falling just one assist and rebound short of a coveted triple-double.

Brownlee received a lot help from Kai Sotto chipping-in 18 points and 8 rebounds, and 12 points from Dwight Ramos adding 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Gilas Head coach Tim Cone expressed surprise at the result, but hopes the team will use this momentum for the rest of the tournament.

Gilas next opponent is Georgia, and a win is crucial for Gilas to progress to the semi-finals and a step closer to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Game highlights

Gilas Pilipinas defeated China for their first win in the Classification round of the FIBA World Cup 2023

September 3, 2023
Gilas Pilipinas defeated China for their first win in the Classification round of the FIBA World Cup 2023
Image: @FIBA

The Philippine national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, secured a rousing and convincing win against China in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The game was held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on September 2, 2023. The Philippines capped off its World Cup campaign with a 1-4 win-loss slate.

The game was close in teh first half of the game, with neither team able to pull away. But in the 3rd quarter, led by Jordan Clarkson, Rhenz Abando and Dwight Ramos, Gilas was able to build a 23 point cushion by the end of 3rd qtr and led by as many as 25 points at 5:19 mark of the 4th quarter, China tried to catch up but the game was already decided at that point. The trio scored a total 59 points.

Jordan Clarkson had 34 points, two boards, and three dimes while Rhenz Abando contributed 14 markers and 5 rebs. Dwight Ramos chipped in 11 pts, 5 rebs and 4 assists. On the otherhand, Kyle Anderson (Kaier Li) led the Chinese team with 17 points, 9 reds and 5 assists while Zhenlin Zhang added 13 pts, 3 rebs.

The victory against China has lifted the Philippines to 24th place in the 2023 FIBA World Cup rankings and secure a slot for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT). which is the “16 following next best-ranked teams” category or the next best 16 placers in the World Cup that have not secured a place in the Olympics.

Highlights

The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, abbreviated as FIBA World OQT, and formerly known as the FIBA Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament, is the last qualifying tournament for the Olympic Basketball Tournament. The best non-champions from the different FIBA World zones qualify for the tournament and compete for the last remaining berths in the Summer Olympic Games.

Compared to the World Cup Tournament, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be a more difficult competition, since Philippines will face other teams from different continents including Europe, Africa, and the Americas.