MANILA, Philippines – A day after their elimination from title contention to Japan, the Philippines’ national basketball under-16 team destroyed Thailand, 81-46, in the classification round of the 2015 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship on Friday, November 6, at the Britama Arena in Indonesia.
Beating Thailand for the second time this tournament, Batang Gilas used a dominant 33-9 second quarter to establish a 31-point lead at the half that allowed them to cruise the rest of the way.
Juan Gomez De Liano led the national team with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Sean Ildefonso, Samjosef Belangel, and Will Gozum registered 10 points each.
As a team, Batang Gilas shot 41% from the field and 38% (9-of-24) from downtown while limiting Thailand to 30% from the field.
Batang Gilas also outrebounded their opponents, 53-37, and forced them to 21 turnovers.
The Philippines will face the winner of Friday’s game between Lebanon and Kuwait on Saturday, November 7, in the battle for fifth place contest.
Chinese Taipei, Japan, South Korea, and China remain the teams still vying for gold.
The top 3 teams will earn spots in the 2017 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Spain. – Rappler.com