Gilas Pilipinas’ Kevin Quiambao was a silver lining in a loss to Chinese Taipei in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—It’s not easy to look for any silver lining in a loss, but Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone saw one in the form of Kevin Quiambao.
Gilas dropped its first assignment in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup at the hands of Chinese Taipei, 95-87, but not without an exemplary showing from Quiambao which certainly didn’t go unnoticed.
READ: Gilas Pilipinas loses to Chinese Taipei in Fiba Asia Cup opener
“He came out and played with a lot of energy and hit some big shots for us,” said Cone Wednesday morning (Manila time) at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“In terms of the way Kevin played, he played very, very well. He was the highlight of the team.”
In 16 minutes off the bench, Quiambao collected 17 points on an efficient 60 percent shooting from the field, four rebounds and two assists.
His efforts, though, weren’t enough for Gilas, which had trouble dealing with Taipei’s hot-shooting.
READ: Tim Cone gives Gilas Pilipinas freedom to operate
“It’s us versus us because our only opponents here are ourselves. We have to overcome that situation,” said the two-time UAAP MVP out of La Salle.
“We have to overcome that situation. We have to get out of this unlucky situation,” he concluded.
Gilas tries to barge into the win column in Group D on Thursday, 11 p.m., against a formidable New Zealand side.
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