MANILA, Philippines — Neither New Zealand coach Judd Flavel nor star guard Corey Webster would admit it, but what led to Gilas’ first-ever win over the Kiwis in the second FIBA Asia Cup qualifying window at the Mall of Asia Arena last Thursday was defense.
Flavel recited a litany of excuses in losing 93-89 to the Philippines from limited practices to a tiring flight to teaching a new system to breaking in new players to taking over as coach from Pero Cameron. Webster accused the referees of “home cooking” even as New Zealand wasn’t assessed a single foul in the second quarter and two Gilas players were a foul away from disqualification. In a social media comment, Webster said “had to try and beat the refs on this one … you know how it is with that home cooking.”
Webster, 35, should attest to Gilas’ defense. In the first half, he hit 4-of-4 threes and scored 16 points with no turnover. New Zealand got off to an 8-0 start. In the second half, coach Tim Cone adjusted Gilas’ defense to trap ball screens or switch, making it difficult for Webster to find good looks. As a result, in the fourth quarter, Webster was held to two points, both from the line and missed his only field goal try. Defense also forced him to commit five turnovers in the second half.
It was in the third quarter when Gilas tightened the screws, limiting the Kiwis to 18 points. Gilas led, 74-63, with 9:01 left and held on to win with Kai Sotto preserving the count by blocking Taylor Britt’s layup, time down to eight seconds. Justin Brownlee scored 11 of Gilas’ last 19 points to seal it and finished with a game-high 26.
Cone said Gilas could’ve used Jamie Malonzo’s length to contain Webster but his rotation of Chris Newsome, CJ Perez and Scottie Thompson got the job done just the same. Webster, the son of a former American hoop import, has played in Serbia, Australia, Greece, Israel, China, Italy, Egypt, Montenegro and New Zealand. He joined the Kiwi national team in 2008 and has compiled 93 caps. Webster never played in the NBA but had a six-game stint with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2017 Summer League in Las Vegas.