The Philippines bid goodbye to its back-to-back aspirations in the 20th Asian Games men’s basketball tilt after suffering a 105-61 beatdown at the hands of a vengeful China on Monday at the Aichi International Arena in Japan.
Gilas could have afforded a loss to the traditional continental powerhouse — by a margin of 37 points or less — with point differentials in play to stay alive. However, no one expected the team to suffer this humiliation.
Confidence was sky-high for this crew after their impressive 109-78 bounce-back win against Kazakhstan barely 48 hours ago. But the team received a harsh reality check from a side bent on getting back at the Filipinos.
China had fallen to Gilas twice in 2023. First came the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila, then worse, in the 19th Asiad in Hangzhou, where they coughed up a 20-point lead in the semifinals.
But with neither Jordan Clarkson nor Justin Brownlee around this time, the only eight-time Asian Games champions pounced on the opportunity and crushed the all-local Philippine team — and its hopes of advancing to the knockouts.
For sure, China would’ve wanted either naturalized star present to make the payback sweeter. Still, ending Gilas’ reign as champions of the quadrennial meet should be more than enough.
A total of seven players finished in double figures in the victory, with NCAA D1 talent Wang Junjie showing the way with 20 points and 14 rebounds.
Formerly of the San Francisco Dons before transferring to UMass just last May, Wang sparked their early breakaway in which they finished the first quarter with a commanding 36-16 lead, setting the tone for the lopsided affair.
Liao Sanning supplied 14 points. Lead point guard Hu Mingxuan delivered 13 points, while Li Yuezhou and Jiao Boqiao had 11 points apiece.
Star center Hu Jinqiu and Cui Yongxui added 10 markers each for China, who shot 51-percent from the floor behind 24 assists and also dominated the rebounding battle by collecting 15, which was 19 more than the opposition.
Calvin Oftana, on the other hand, was the only player in double figures with 13 points for Gilas, who will finish 9th in the tourney. It is the Philippines’ worst finish in the Asian Games’ men’s basketball competitions ever.
The country’s previous worst was seventh place in the 2014 edition in Incheon, South Korea, when the team was still mentored by Chot Reyes.
The Scores:
China 105 – Wang 20, Liao 14, Hu 13, Li 11, Jiao 11, Cui 10, Hu 10, Yu 9, Pang 7.
Philippines 61 – Oftana 13, Barefield 9, Trollano 7, Bolick 5, Ahanmisi 5, Lucero 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 5, Nocum 4, Abarrientos 4, Bates 2, Arana 2, Baltazar 0.
Quarterscores: 36-16. 66-30, 79-40, 105-61.
