Andy Gemao and Cabs Cabonilas sparked the breakaway as Gilas Boys opened its FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024 SEABA Qualifiers with a resounding 97-71 win over Malaysia in the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Friday night.
Gemao finished with 17 points, while Cabonilas came through with 16 points and 12 rebounds as the two helped out in the second-quarter assault that opened the game wide open and put the Philippine team ahead all the way.
The two were already in double figures entering the break, combining for 23 points as the two served as the offensive lynchpin for a squad that needed some time to get its flow on both ends after an early nip-and-tuck affair.
Gilas only led by two early in the aforementioned period until Gemao and Cabonilas led what would be an overwhelming 22-3 run toward a 47-26 advantage with under two minutes left before the intermission.
The wards of Coach Josh Reyes outscored the hosts, 28-7, in the entire second chapter, and went on to dictate the pace the rest of the night.
All but one scored at least two in the win, with Wacky Ludovice chipping in 11 points. Both Marc Burgos and Charles Esteban added 10 each.
Malaysia, meanwhile, was led by Chua Yen Joon in the loss that saw the home team fail to sustain its rhythm after leading a few times during the first.
The Philippines will look to make it two in a row when it faces Thailand on Saturday, July 20, at 4:00 PM in a bid to get closer to the tournament proper.
The Thais are coming off a 70-56 defeat in the hands of Indonesia earlier in the day, making their upcoming clash against Gilas all the more important.
All four teams in this SEABA Qualifiers are competing for only two tickets to the U18 Asia Cup set on September 2-9 in Amman, Jordan.
So far, 12 teams are assured of slots in the tilt, with reigning champions Korea set to represent East Asia with Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, and Mongolia.
Australia and New Zealand will carry the fight for Oceania.
Iran and Lebanon booked their spots after reaching the WABA Qualifiers Final, making it three West Asia sides in the meet – including the hosts. Kazakhstan and India earned theirs by ruling the CABA and SABA Qualifiers, respectively.
Aside from Southeast Asia, two more tickets via the Gulf Region are up for grabs in the GBA Qualifiers set on July 29-August 2 in Kuwait.
The Scores:
Philippines (97) – Gemao 17, Cabonilas 16, Ludovice 11, Burgos 10, Esteban 10, Manding 9, Medina 8, Lorenzo 8, Santos 3, Esperanza 3, Castillejos 2, Hunter 0.
Malaysia (71) – Chua 14, Teng 13, Ng 11, Kho 10, Khoo 10, Chia 6, Siow 3, Siew 2, Oh 2, Tan 0, Ng 0, Chen 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 51-28, 76-52, 97-71.
