Pepper punishes Philippines as Boomers stay perfect

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There was no brawl this time, only Elijah Pepper and Mitch Creek beating up the Philippines on the scoreboard as the Australian Boomers kept their FIBA World Cup Asia Qualifiers perfect record intact with a dominant 27-point win in Manila on Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Pepper, 24, poured in 28 points, grabbed seven rebounds, had two assists, and a steal in 36 minutes, while 33-year-old Creek, who missed the clash in Guam, had 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in 26 minutes.

‍"It was great,” Pepper said.

“It was a great atmosphere, and I think all the guys enjoyed it. It was really fun to play in.

“I thought we played well. The Philippines came out with a little bit of a hard start, they played well in that first half. We just had to weather the storm and stick together.

“And then in that second half, we shared the ball really well, guys were getting open looks - there's a couple of them where you see the ball swinging from one corner to the opposite corner with four, five passes.

“I think that's Aussie basketball. We played really well together."

Australian associate head coach John Rillie, who Pepper plays for on the Perth Wildcats, expected the home team to be competitive in front of raucous Filipino faithful.

"We knew the Philippines would come out really hard at the start of the game due to their game against New Zealand, so we needed to weather that storm,” Rillie said.

“I felt our intent offensively for 40 minutes was pretty good, and we just warmed down over the course of the 40 minutes.

“Offensively, we looked after the ball, we really shared the ball; Elijah was one of the beneficiaries. And it was really good to have Mitch Creek for this game because we knew it's gonna be a fantastic atmosphere to play in, and he's a seasoned pro.

“So you saw the combination of him and Nick Kay together. Very excited for the win."

Philippines head coach Tim Cone said the difference was the Boomers' depth.

"It was a very painful one,” Philippines head coach Tim Cone said.

“It was a very painful second half. Painful to be a part of, painful to watch.

“Especially being in front of our home crowd. We wanted to be better than that. I thought we did everything we wanted defensively; we held guys down.

“But when they started to stretch the lead a little bit, got some open threes, and a couple of turnovers on our part, I think we just got deflated and lost our energy.

“And it was hard to chase those guys ... Very, very painful here at home, just doing that in front of the home crowd was tough."

Key Details

• Round: First Round Group A
• Result: Australia 93 def. Philippines 66
• When: 1st March 2026
• Where: Mall of Asia Arena, Manila, Philippines

By the Numbers

• Elijah Pepper (Australia) dominated with 28 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 36 minutes.
• Justin Brownlee (Philippines) scored 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the losing effort.

What Happened

Australia established early control after a brief Philippines surge, turning a competitive opening quarter into a comprehensive blowout victory. The Boomers trailed 11-9 with 2:18 remaining in the first quarter before Isaac White's crucial free throws with 52 seconds left gave Australia a 14-13 advantage they would never relinquish.

The turning point came during a decisive seven-minute stretch spanning the late first and early second quarters, where Australia outscored the hosts 19-7 to build a 24-18 lead. Elijah Pepper and Tanner Krebs combined effectively during this period, with Pepper's long-range shooting ability proving particularly devastating as he connected on five triples throughout the contest.

Pepper's outstanding performance was the catalyst for Australia's dominant display, shooting an efficient 11-for-24 from the field while maintaining perfect ball security with zero turnovers. Pepper’s +29 reflected his impact on both ends of the court. Tanner Krebs provided excellent support with 18 points on solid 7-from-15 shooting, including an impressive 4-from-8 from downtown, while veteran Mitch Creek anchored the team's all-around effort with 13 points, eight boards, and five dimes.

Australia's superior shooting proved decisive, converting 42.2% from the field, while the Philippines struggled from outside. The Boomers connected on 15-from-42 three-point attempts (35.7%), with Pepper leading the charge from deep. Their dominance extended to the charity stripe, where they shot 8-for-9 (88.9%), showcasing their composure under pressure.

The defensive intensity ramped up significantly in the second half, as Australia extended their lead to a game-high 29 points on two separate occasions in the final quarter. Their ability to control the glass was evident, out-rebounding the Philippines 50-32 while limiting second-chance opportunities. Nick Kay's presence in the paint was particularly effective, contributing eight points, eight rebounds, and two blocks in 31 minutes of solid two-way basketball.

Group A – Standings

Group A (8/12 Games Played)

+----+--------------+----+---+---+--------+-----------------+-----+-----+------+-------+-------+-----+
| #  | Team         | GP | W | L |   %    | Last 5          | FOR | AGT | +/-  |  FA   |  AA   | Pts |
+----+--------------+----+---+---+--------+-----------------+-----+-----+------+-------+-------+-----+
| 1  | Australia    |  4 | 4 | 0 | 100.0  | W W W W L       | 349 | 302 |   47 |  87.3 |  75.5 |   8 |
| 2  | New Zealand  |  4 | 2 | 2 |  50.0  | L L W W L       | 324 | 296 |   28 |  81.0 |  74.0 |   6 |
| 3  | Philippines  |  4 | 2 | 2 |  50.0  | W W L L L       | 314 | 279 |   35 |  78.5 |  69.8 |   6 |
| 4  | Guam         |  4 | 0 | 4 |   0.0  | L L L L L       | 264 | 374 | -110 |  66.0 |  93.5 |   4 |
+----+--------------+----+---+---+--------+-----------------+-----+-----+------+-------+-------+-----+

(1) Australia and Philippines qualified for the Second Round

Group A – First Round In Australia

Friday, July 3: Australia (AUS) vs Guam (GUM)

Monday, July 6 Australia (AUS) vs Philippines (PHI)