Coming off an 84-67 loss to China, Gilas Pilipinas Boys rebounded by routing Kazakhstan 66-42, evening their record in Group D of the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship on Tuesday at Al-Rayyan Indoor Hall in Doha, Qatar.
Unlike their loss to Team Dragon a day earlier, which witnessed the young Pinoys falling apart in the second half, the Philippines ignited in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Trailing 30-25 as they entered the third quarter, a Bonn Doja three-pointer ignited a significant Gilas rally. As the dust settled, the Philippines limited Kazakhstan to just three points in the frame, securing a 47-33 lead.
The momentum continued as Gilas capitalized on the Kazakhs’ struggles, extending their lead to as much as 24 points.
With this victory, the Philippines joined Malaysia, both sporting 1-1 records, as the latter fell to China 95-33.
Kieffer Alas once again led Gilas with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Bonn Daja had an outstanding game with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Joaquin Ludovice contributed 11 markers.
The Philippines will face Malaysia next, with the second seed at stake. In the next round, the Philippines will either compete against South Korea or Jordan.
Kazakhstan, virtually relegated to the classification phase, was led by Alisher Muratuly, who scored 15 points.
The Scores:
Philippines 66 – Alas 18, Ludovice 11, Daja 10, Banal 6, Velasquez 6, Amos 6, Chua 3, Williams 2, Diao 2, Alegre 2, Morales 0, Gomez de Liaño 0.
Kazakhstan 42 – Muratuly 15, Issabayev 9, Maralbayev 8, Remezov 5, Talasbay 3, Doroshin 2, Sultan 0, Maligen 0, Pestov 0, Talgatov 0, Barabash 0, Tau 0.
Quarterscores: 17-18, 25-30, 47-33, 66-42.
