New Zealand seized pole position in Group B of the FIBA U16 Asia Cup 2025 after a 101-82 victory over Chinese Taipei on Monday night at the MBank Arena, but the spotlight now shifts to the Philippines.

Gilas Youth gets its chance to snatch the No. 1 seed when it faces the Junior Tall Blacks on Tuesday, September 2, 16:30 local time at the Buyant Ukhaa Sport Complex. A win will secure a direct ticket to the quarterfinals set for September 5.

Philippines Bounces Back Against Rival Indonesia

The young Filipinos enter the showdown with momentum, having survived a scare against Indonesia in a rivalry affair. Gilas Youth clawed its way to a 65-60 win, avoiding back-to-back defeats after dropping their opener to Chinese Taipei.

Game was tied at 56-all in the final five minutes until Andwele Cabanero drove hard for the go-ahead layup. Jolo Pascual then buried a clutch triple to stretch the lead to 63-57 with 38 seconds left, while Prince Carino sealed the deal with a timely cleanup of Ethan Tan-Chi’s missed free throws.

Tan-Chi led Gilas with 12 points and 5 rebounds, Pascual added 11 points and 5 assists, while Cabanero contributed 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.

Tall Task Ahead

New Zealand, last edition’s runner-up, has been dominant with two straight wins. Marco Sula shone against Chinese Taipei with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Brigham Hakaraia and Liam Keogh provided steady support. The Junior Tall Blacks also flexed their rebounding muscle, pulling down 62 boards after a massive 79-rebound haul versus Indonesia.

Group B Picture

The Philippines (1-1) and Chinese Taipei (1-1) remain in the running for the second automatic quarterfinal spot, with Malaysia still winless. The final Group B matches on Tuesday — Philippines vs. New Zealand at 16:30 and Chinese Taipei vs. Malaysia at 19:00 — will decide the pecking order.