MANILA, Philippines—Thursday night was supposed to be another feather added to Justin Brownlee’s cap.

Instead, he watched his stellar night go down the drain as Chinese Taipei subdued Gilas Pilipinas, 91-84, at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.

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SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers third window

Brownlee tipped his hat to the Taiwan for sticking through their game plan and notching a win in the third window of the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers.

“I give lots of credit to Chinese Taipei. They really bounced back from the last time we played them,” said the longtime Ginebra import.

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Brownlee recorded a game-high 39 points plus eight assists, six rebounds and five steals to match, accounting for close to half of Gilas Pilipinas output.

The six-time PBA champion’s offensive outburst was also his highest-scoring output in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.

READ: Justin Brownlee gears up for Gilas stint after leading Ginebra to semis

Brownlee, a three-time Best Import of the Conference awardee, missed just eight of his 19 shots from the field  while also sinking eight treys.

The fact that Chinese Taipei escaped another Brownlee masterclass had Tim Cone praising the retooled Taiwanese side.

“I thought Chinese Taipei was very impressive. We made a couple runs hoping they would crack but they never did. They kept their composure and made big shots,” said the veteran tactician.

“Like coach said, they hit some big shots… It was a hard-fought game. Congrats to them,” added Brownlee.

Brownlee, Cone and Gilas have a chance to finish the qualifiers on a high note when they face New Zealand at Spark Arena in Auckland on Sunday night, Manila time.