Gilas Pilipinas Women remained unscathed in the 19th Asian Games basketball competitions following a 99-63 drubbing of Hong Kong, Friday at the Shaoxing Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Zhejiang, China.
The crew got going late in the second period after a slow start before breaking the game wide open in the ensuing chapter en route to chalking up win no. 2, moving a win away from clinching the top seed in Group B.
Coach Pat Aquino and his charges could do so against Japan on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in a battle of unbeaten teams. The Japanese went 2-0 after dealing a luckless Kazakhstan a 30-point beatdown, 92-30, also Friday.
Janine Pontejos led the Philippines with a game-high 23 points, as she drilled seven of the team’s 15 three-pointers in the conquest.
Afril Bernardino finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, together with three steals and a block in 23 minutes in another all-around outing.
Khate Castillo supplied 17 points on five triples. Jack Animam delivered yet another double-double with 11 points and 18 rebounds, while Louna Ozar also had 11 as all but two scored at least two points for Gilas.
Ozar helped spark the second-quarter surge, tying the game up at 30-all with 5:28 to go to answer back Li Tsz Kwan’s triple on the other end.
Animam, Bernardino, and Pontejos would help out shortly after, and they’d put together a 14-4 run to end the canto in their favor, 42-34.
The Bernardino-Pontejos tandem continued the assault in the third as they led a 9-0 blitz for a 51-34 lead, marking the start of a one-sided affair.
The Filipina dribblers shot 52-percent from the floor big thanks to their 31 assists as a whole. They also dominated the rebounding battle, 67-44.
Tong Hiu Lui, meanwhile, finished with 15 points to lead Hong Kong, who fell to 0-2. Lau Sheung Hok added 11 points in the blowout loss.
The Scores:
Philippines (99) – Pontejos 23, Bernardino 20, Castillo 17, Ozar 11, Animam 11, del Carmen 8, Cabinbin 4, Nolasco 3, Cacho 2, Berberabe 1, Guytingco 0, Tongco 0.
Hong Kong (63) – Tong 15, Lau 11, Wong 10, Li 10, Chan 6, Yam 5, Tsui 2, Lui 2, Chan 2, Chan 0, Wong 0, Ko 0.
Quarterscores: 19-20, 42-34, 65-46, 99-63.
