Gilas Pilipinas secured a hard-fought 95-88 overtime victory against host Saudi Arabia in the FIBA Asia Cup qualification round, with Justin Brownlee leading the team with 29 points. Brownlee's clutch three-pointer forced the overtime, enabling the Philippines to advance to the quarterfinals where they faced two-time defending champion Australia. Despite efforts from Kevin Quiambao, who contributed significantly throughout the tournament, and other key players like AJ Edu, Gilas Pilipinas struggled against Australia, trailing by 17 points at halftime and ultimately losing 84-60. Australia maintained their undefeated record in FIBA Asia Cup history, shooting 7-of-8 from three-point range early in the game. The defeat ended Gilas Pilipinas' bid for the title. Coach Tim Cone acknowledged the loss as a learning experience and indicated it was too early to make lineup changes. The quarterfinals also saw Chinese Taipei eliminated by three-time champion Iran, leaving Iran as the sole MENA region contender. Gilas Pilipinas' next steps include potential roster adjustments, with Quentin Millora-Brown being considered to add youth and size to the frontcourt.