Despite another stellar outing from Chog Moral, Gilas Pilipinas Boys fell short against Japan, 80-75, in the 5th-8th classification phase of the FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup 2026 on Saturday at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
Moral, who tallied 26 points and six steals against China in the quarterfinals, delivered another strong performance with 21 points on 10-of-17 shooting, along with four rebounds and four steals.
(C) FIBA
Gilas Boys trailed 62-53 early in the final frame before mounting a rally sparked by Moral.
A three-pointer from Pat Pasinos, followed by back-to-back baskets from Moral, cut Japan’s lead to four with 4:13 remaining. Then a shootout from beyond the arc ensued, but Japan had an answer for every Filipino basket.
Moral cut the deficit to five, 74-69, with 39 seconds remaining, but free throws from Kaito Nakamura and Yousef Thompson sealed the victory for Japan.
(C) FIBA
The Philippines will await the loser of Sunday’s Iran-Chinese Taipei matchup, with the winner of that game claiming seventh place.
Pasinos and Aidan Dayco-Green supported Moral with 10 points apiece.
Kenichiro Benedict led Japan with 20 points, including three triples, while Cayman Tsuneoka added 15 points and nine rebounds. Nakamura chipped in 13 points.
The Scores:
Japan 80 – Benedict 20, Tsuneoka 15, Nakamura K. 13, Konno 9, Thompson 8, Nakamura F. 8, Takahashi 3, Honda 2, McMillian 2, Sakurai 0, Fujiwara 0.
Philippines 75 – Moral 21, Pasinos 10, Dayco-Green 10, Aguas 8, Tubongbanua 7, Atacador 6, Cagurungan 5, Gish 4, Cariño 4, Chio 0, Roquid 0.
Quarterscores: 25-16, 39-34, 54-49, 80-75.
