Gilas Pilipinas Boys continued from where they left off, defeating Malaysia 75-52, securing the second seed in Group D of the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship on Wednesday at Al-Rayyan Indoor Hall in Doha, Qatar.
With this victory, the Philippines concluded the group phase with a 2-1 record, having also defeated Kazakhstan 66-42 but falling to China on the opening day with a score of 84-67.
The young Filipino team will now face South Korea in the play-in round on Thursday, as South Korea finished Group C with a 1-2 record. Jordan, on the other hand, will take on Malaysia.
Advancing to the quarterfinals are China from Group D, New Zealand from Group C, Japan from Group B, and Australia from Group A.
Against Malaysia, the Philippines wasted no time, quickly racing to a commanding 29-6 lead and never looking back. Gilas maintained their momentum, extending their lead to as much as 34 points multiple times during the game.
Every player fielded by Josh Reyes contributed to the scoring, with Kieffer Alas leading the way with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Kurt Velasquez added 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Elijah Williams also had an impressive performance with nine points and nine assists.
Notably, no Malaysian player managed to score in double digits.
The Scores:
Philippines 75 – Alas 15, Velasquez 13, Williams 9, Daja 7, Morales 7, Chua 6, De Liano 6, Alegre 4, Banal 3, Ludovice 3, Diao 2.
Malaysia 52 – Hoo 7, Chua 7, Kho 7, Juan 6, Chia 6, Goh 5, Khoo 4, Lee 3, Lai 3, Chee 2, Tan JW 2, Tan JH 0.
Quarterscores: 29-8, 45-23, 60-36, 75-52.
