30/08/2026
Pilipinas vs. Iran — Game Story 🇵🇭🏀
Once again, Gilas Pilipinas struggled with a slow start, but credit has to go to Iran’s game plan. In the opening possessions, Iran repeatedly attacked Kai Sotto in the pick-and-roll, forcing our bigs to defend in space. They converted their early opportunities, gained confidence, and quickly built an 18–7 lead.
But the game started to turn around in the second quarter when Coach Tim and his staff made the necessary adjustments.
They went with AJ as the 5 and KQ at the 4, which disrupted Iran’s initial defensive and offensive game plan. The change in our lineup gave us better mobility and allowed us to match Iran’s pace and spacing.
The insertion of Junemar Fajardo and JGDL were also a key factor. I don’t think Iran was fully prepared for their impact, and their presence gave Gilas another dimension offensively.
Once we figured out how to defend Iran’s pick-and-roll actions and stopped allowing them to consistently target Kai and our bigs, the game became a real grind. From there, it turned into a physical, possession-by-possession battle, exactly the kind of defensive game you want in a tight international matchup.
One of the low-key highlights of the game was KQ’s defensive job on Aghajanpour, one of Iran’s key shooters. KQ may not have filled up the stat sheet offensively, but his value went beyond scoring. His defensive assignment and ability to stay attached to Iran’s shooter were crucial.
Sometimes, the box score doesn’t tell the whole story.
Congrats, Gilas Pilipinas! 🇵🇭
Four more games. If we can take care of business and win those last four, we put ourselves in a great position to qualify for the FIBA World Cup next year.
One game at a time. Laban, Pilipinas! 🇵🇭🔥
📸 One Sports
