MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Philippine national under-16 men's basketball team recovered from a loss to South Korea a day before and slayed a giant in China, 78-72, in the 2015 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship on Tuesday, November 3 at the Britama Arena in Indonesia.
Batang Gilas ended the game on an 11-0 run – its biggest scoring run of the game – to overturn a 72-67 deficit and come away with the upset victory. It is China's first-ever defeat in an under-16 tournament in Asia.
China had been unbeaten since the continental tournament began in 2009, having won 3 gold medals in the biennial meet.
Gian Mamuyac topscored for the young Filipinos with 22 points and had an all-around performance of 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and two blocks in 30:15 minutes on the floor.
Samjosef Belangel had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Batang Gilas also got 10 points each from Kris Pagsanjan and Jason Credo, while Jonas Tibayan had 7 points.
The Philippines shot a far better 46.4% (13-of-28) from long range compared to the paltry 15% (3-of-20) of China. Batang Gilas made up for the discrepancy in rebounding – 58-33 in favor of the Chinese – by moving the ball better for a 24-14 advantage in assists.
Batang Gilas also employed pesky defense that resulted in 21 points off 27 Chinese turnovers. The Filipinos registered 19 steals as Batang Gilas' bench provided quality contribution compared to China's, 32-11.
The Philippines, China and South Korea are now tied for first place in Group F with a 4-1 record. The knockout quarterfinals begin Thursday, November 5. The Philippines finished second at the last tournament in 2013. – Rappler.com