Coach Tim Cone was left shellshocked with another defeat that made the road tougher for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup.

Friday’s 94-86 loss to New Zealand in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia made Gilas’ final Group D game against Iraq a must-win situation with a spot in a qualification game for the quarterfinals on the line.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas falls to New Zealand, drops to 0-2 in Fiba Asia Cup

“We’re disappointed that we lost two in a row. I don’t think we all saw that coming,” Cone said during the postgame press conference. “But the tournament’s not over for us.”

If Gilas wins, it will face the second place team in Group C composed of China, Jordan, India and Saudi Arabia.

And if the Philippines get through that, the quarterfinal opponent will come from the top team in Group A which has Australia, Lebanon, Qatar and South Korea.

READ: Opening-day defeat puts Gilas Pilipinas in Fiba Asia Cup corner

Gilas tried to rally from an 18-point deficit in the fourth, eventually pulling within three behind Justin Brownlee, who scored 37, and Dwight Ramos.

But Gilas encountered some defensive lapses coupled with some turnovers while New Zealand guard Taylor Britt made big shots down the stretch that put the contest out of reach.

Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee during a game against New Zealand in the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup. –FIBA PHOTO

One play saw Ramos’ pass intended for Brownlee going out of bounds while Gilas was behind 87-82 entering the final two minutes. That led to Britt scoring one of his driving layups that extended the Tall Blacks’ advantage.

“I thought we played better in the second half, but we weren’t able to get over the hump,” Cone lamented. “We got a couple of turnovers down the stretch that prevented us from really making the game tight.”