MANILA, Philippines–Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone believes the breakthrough win in the Fiba Asia Cup on Saturday can go a long way as it moves to the knockout rounds, hoping for a deep run in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“It was a big win for us,” Cone said after Gilas’ 66-57 win over Iraq at King Abdullah Sports City to secure a place in the qualification game for a quarterfinals berth.

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Riding on Dwight Ramos’ hot shooting in the third, and a stellar defensive effort that forced Iraq to turnovers and sputtering shots from downtown after relying on those to take a lead in the first half enabled Gilas to end Group D in third place with a 1-2 record.

The Philippines came into the ballgame reeling from a pair of eight-point defeats at the hands of Chinese-Taipei and New Zealand that left fans back home with more than plenty to be desired.

In both games, Gilas tried to rally from being down by double digits, only to fall in the end.

But finally pulling out a victory was something that could shake off the frustration and disappointment of the past two games.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas fends off Iraq, gets shot at quarterfinals berth

“Any win at this point is a big win for us, because we need one to get under our belt,” Cone said. “We needed to have a win to rekindle our confidence a bit.”

Gilas will face either Saudi Arabia or Jordan in Monday’s qualification game, with the winner going to the quarters to battle the top team from Group A.

Australia has the strong odds of securing the spot from that group, doubling the difficult route Gilas has to encounter moving forward.