MANILA, Philippines - Batang Gilas finished their run at the 2015 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship in fifth place after defeating Lebanon, 89-74, in a classification match on Saturday, November 7 at Britama Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia.
SJ Belangel led the way for the Philippines with 13 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists while Jonas Tibayan topscored for the team with 16 points and 4 rebounds. Harvey Pagsanjan scored 13, Sean Dave Ildefonso registered 12 points and 10 rebounds while Gian Mamuyac contributed 10 points and 8 assists.
Salim Alaaeddine led Lebanon with 28 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Philippines fell short of its silver medal finish in the 2013 edition after being eliminated from contention by Japan in the qualifiers. The loss meant the Philippines would not qualify for the 2016 FIBA U-17 World Championship in Spain as only the top 3 finishers in Asia get a spot.
Batang Gilas did however make history, becoming the first team to defeat 3-time champion China in a FIBA Asia U-16 game.
In other FIBA action on Saturday, China earned a place in Spain after defeating Japan in the bronze medal, 80-58, while Chinese Taipei and South Korea will contest for the gold. – Rappler.com