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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Three-point defense remains an unsolved puzzle for Gilas

Three-point defense remains an unsolved puzzle for Gilas

Published Aug 8, 2025 11:37 am  |  Updated Aug 8, 2025 01:08 pm
Jordan Ngatai torches Gilas with a perfect 5-of-5 clip from deep
Jordan Ngatai torches Gilas with a perfect 5-of-5 clip from deep
It wasn’t just the slow starts that haunted Gilas Pilipinas in its first two games of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
An even more baffling -- and arguably more pressing -- concern was the Nationals’ continued inability to defend the three-point line.
“Chinese Taipei shot very well from the three and tonight they shot very well from the three so that's something we've got to try to solve and get better at going into our next game and through the tournament,” said Gilas head coach Tim Cone.
Across both losses, Gilas struggled to contain their opponents’ hot shooting from beyond the arc. Chinese Taipei nailed 12 tiples in its 95-87 win, while New Zealand knocked down 13 en route to a 94-86 triumph.
Opponents were actually shooting an average of 47.2 percent from three-point range against the Gilas defense.
Chen Ying-Chun of Chinese Taipei torched Gilas with six triples to finish with 34 points in the opener, while Jordan Ngatai posed a similar threat, going a perfect 5-of-5 from deep for New Zealand.
“We just have to identify shooters a little better. We didn't do that very well in the first half.
I thought we did a much better job in the second half,” Cone said.
“Ngatai really had some open looks early in the first half and we knew coming out he was going to be a shooter and we had to cover him and we still didn't cover him,” he lamented.
More than just adjusting defensive schemes, Cone stressed that the real solution lies in the players’ mindset.
“These are just, to me, just more mental adjustments than anything else and just something we've got to continue to talk about and work on and try to figure out why teams are shooting so well,” Cone said.
“It's all going to be about mental, getting loose balls, getting loose rebounds and not allowing the extra possessions to get three-point shots up,” he added.
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