Gilas Pilipinas absorbed a 46-point beating at the hands of New Zealand, 106-60, in the third window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Thursday, June 30, at the EventFinda Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Tall Blacks set the pace from the get-go and led by as many as 26 points after the first half as the 11-man Gilas couldn't find its scoring touch and continued to struggle from the field.
New Zealand, which almost came perfect from the free-throw line on a 21-of-22 shooting, showed total team effort and even stretched the lead to 30 points, 73-43, heading into the payoff period to pull away for good.
Gilas also suffered a huge blow in the fourth quarter as Carl Tamayo, the top scorer for Gilas, had to be taken out of the game due to an apparent sprained ankle.
Dion Prewster spearheaded New Zealand with 15 points while five other Tall Blacks scored in double digits courtesy of Finn Delany (14), Jordan Ngatai (12), Ethan Rusbatch (12), Corey Webster (11), and Shea Ili (10).
Tamayo paced Gilas with 16 points along with five rebounds while Abando and Francis Lopez added 11 and eight points, respectively.
Dwight Ramos chipped in six points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals for Gilas while team captain Kiefer Ravena had six points as well.
The Filipinos struggled to shoot the ball from the distance with a 4-of-25 clip from beyond the arc.
The national team will fly back home to the Philippines and is set to face India on Sunday, July 3 to wrap up its first round campaign at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Still, New Zealand, the Philippines, and India are still the top three teams moving to the next round beginning Aug. 25 due to South Korea's disqualification.