It took 14 lead changes, two full overtime periods and one fatal mistake in the final 10 seconds to settle it. New Zealand outlasted the Philippines, 106-102, in a double-overtime thriller on July 3, 2026, at Spark Arena in Auckland, surviving a furious late rally in a first-round game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers that will be remembered as much for its chaos as its outcome.

Reuben Te Rangi led all scorers for the Tall Blacks with 22 points, but the numbers only tell part of the story. This was a game that swung wildly from start to finish, refusing to hand either side control until the very last possession.

A Back-and-Forth Battle That Never Let Up

New Zealand controlled the tempo for most of the night, leading for 31 minutes and 25 seconds compared to just 10:53 for the Philippines, and building a game-high 12-point cushion in the third quarter at 55-43. But the Philippines refused to fold. Behind a blistering 10-0 run late in the third quarter, they flipped a 54-60 deficit into a 64-60 lead, setting the stage for a fourth quarter that turned into an absolute dogfight.

The Philippines pushed their advantage to 7 points at 77-70 with under five minutes to play, appearing ready to steal the game on the road. Instead, New Zealand answered with a 7-0 run to tie things at 77-77, igniting a finish that produced 14 total lead changes — the last of which came with just 52 seconds remaining in the second overtime.

Kevin Quiambao, who finished with a game-high-tying 23 points for the Philippines, kept his team alive with a clutch jumper to knot the score at 102-102 late in the second extra period after New Zealand had briefly grabbed a 102-100 edge. For a moment, it looked like the game might stretch into a third overtime.

One Turnover Changes Everything

It didn’t. With the score at 104-102 and just 10 seconds on the clock, Juan Gomez De Liano committed a costly turnover on a bad pass, handing New Zealand the possession — and the game. The Tall Blacks closed it out at the free-throw line, sealing a 106-102 win that felt inevitable only in hindsight.

New Zealand’s depth proved decisive in the game’s defining stretch. Sam Waardenburg posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Shea Ili added 21 points and 6 assists in just 24 minutes, and Carlin Davison was nearly flawless in crunch time, going 3-of-3 from the line while adding 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Across the game’s 14 minutes and 44 seconds of clutch basketball, New Zealand outscored the Philippines, 33-25, dominating inside the paint and on the glass while the Philippines went cold from three-point range, shooting just 3-of-14.

The win keeps New Zealand’s World Cup qualifying campaign on track in Group A, while the Philippines will look to regroup after a heartbreaking finish that slipped away in the final seconds.