Gilas Pilipinas secured a commanding victory over the Franklin Bulls, 94-66, in their second tune-up game on Tuesday evening, June 30, 2026 (Philippine time), in New Zealand. The win came despite the absence of naturalized player Justin Brownlee and Mike Phillips.
Dominant performance led by Tamayo and Ramos
Carl Tamayo led the scoring with 22 points, while Dwight Ramos added 19 points. The team built a lead as large as 31 points during the game. This performance followed their earlier 92-61 win against the Manawatu Jets in the first tune-up match.
Coach Tim Cone emphasized the importance of preparation. “That’s really good preparation for us. I’ve always said that a prepared team is a confident team, and if we’re confident, that’s going to show in our games,” Cone said, as quoted on www.pba.ph.
Preparation for FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers
The two tune-up games mark the final phase of Gilas’ preparation for the 3rd Window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. They will face the New Zealand Tall Blacks on Friday, July 3, before traveling to Perth, Australia, to take on the Australia Boomers on Monday, July 6.
