The fancied Batang Gilas squad showcased its talent, pounding Lebanon with a lopsided 75-53 wire-to-wire win, Sunday evening at the Stadium 29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Second-generation cager Dave Ildefonso was unstoppable in the first half, scoring all 19 of his points in the first half. The NU-commit knocked down four triples in the contest.
After a strong opening 20 minutes, Batang Gilas zoned in on defense in the third frame, limiting the Lebanese to just eight points. AJ Edu and Kai Sotto protected the paint well for the Philippines as the former ended the game plus-26 while the latter was a plus-10.
Edu had 17 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks, while Sotto had 12 markers and eight boards.
The Phlippines out-rebounded Lebanon, 68-41.
Batang Gilas would lead by as much as 24 points, 71-47, after a Joshua Ramirez triple coming off a Dalph Panopio find.
Panopio steered the wheel for the young Filipinos, tallying 12 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals.
Alexander Frederick Zanbaka was the sole double-digit scorer for Lebanon with 12 points. Lebanon shot a dismal 35.8 percent from the field.
The Philippines will next face UAE on Monday, August 6, at 6:45pm.
The Scores:
Philippines 75 – Ildefonso 19, Edu 17, Panopio 12, Sotto 12, Ramirez 5, Amsali 5, Cortez 2, Chiu 2, Abadiano 1, Oczon 0, Torres 0, Lina 0
Lebanon 53 – Zanbaka 12, Kopaly 9, Dargham 7, Bedikian 6, Kasab 6, Htait 5, Khoueiry 3, Khayat 2, Mougharbel 2, Saade 1, Samaha 0, Karime 0
Quarterscores: 25-15, 41-33, 59-41, 75-53
