New Zealand's Tall Blacks secured a narrow 69-66 victory over host Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers on February 26, by effectively neutralizing star player Justin Brownlee. Brownlee, usually a dominant force, managed only 4 points amid heavy double-teaming. The win marks New Zealand's first in the qualifiers after earlier losses to Australia.
In the second window of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, New Zealand made sure to prevent the damage Justin Brownlee could cause. Their plan worked to a tee in a 69-66 win over host Gilas Pilipinas on Thursday, February 26, in Manila.
Restricted by the Tall Blacks' constant double-teaming and defensive pressure, Brownlee turned in one of his lowest scoring efforts in a national team uniform: just 4 points on 2-of-10 shooting and a team-high 4 turnovers. “He’s given us the business before in recent games and so he was a large focal point for us,” said New Zealand coach Judd Flavell of Brownlee.
The last time the Philippines faced the Tall Blacks in the FIBA Asia Cup in August, Brownlee exploded for 37 points on 12-of-19 shooting, albeit in a 94-86 loss. Understanding Brownlee’s tendencies and strengths, Flavell assigned players like Reuben Te Rangi, Jordan Ngatai, Max Darling, and Carlin Davison—all at least 6-foot-5—to hound him.
It was a defensive masterclass for New Zealand as Brownlee went scoreless in the entire first half, with his first bucket coming a minute into the third quarter. “He’s about 80 percent of our game plan,” said Flavell. “Wherever he is on the floor, we know that the ball is coming back to Brownlee.”
“It helps that we’ve played each other a lot and it obviously helps them that they’re playing against us too and with our system and being familiar with that. But we know he takes a lot of attention. He’s a true international scorer, so the intention was that we’ve just got to be within touch distance with him all the time. He’s involved with actions, we want to make sure that there’s two guys on him, he’s got to see a lot of bodies.”
With Brownlee struggling, Dwight Ramos and CJ Perez rose to the occasion, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively, as Gilas Pilipinas gave the Tall Blacks a run for their money. But limiting Brownlee’s production proved to be the difference for New Zealand, which notched its first victory of the Asian Qualifiers after a two-game sweep at the hands of Australia in the first window.
“We came here to get the win and we got the job done,” said Flavell.
