By: Ernest Tuazon
The woes and struggles continued for the Gilas Pilipinas Boys in the 2024 FIBA Under-17 World Cup on Sunday.
The No. 37-ranked Philippines suffered a 62-point beatdown by European champion and the world’s second-best U-17 squad, Spain, 96-34, at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Turkey.
Spain wasted no time in stamping their winning pedigree over the Philippines, tallying a 28-point lead after the first frame by holding Gilas to two points, 30-2.
Gilas’ only basket in the first period came from a layup by Joaquin Ludovice at the 5:17 mark.
The Philippines was then held scoreless until the 08:09 mark of the second frame, where another layup by Ludovice broke Gilas’ cold streak.
A last-second jumper by Daniel Balde in the fourth frame gave Spain a 62-point lead, the largest of the match, 96-34.
The height-depleted Philippine squad was outrebounded by Spain by 42, 71-22.
Gilas’ shooting woes carried over from their loss to Lithuania, with a 22.2-percent shooting clip compared to Spain’s efficient 47.4-percent.
The Philippines only tallied seven assists, a far cry from Spain’s 29 dimes.
Spain had four double-digit scorers led by Maximo Garcia-Plata’s 15-point performance, while the trio of Guillermo Del Pino, Ignacio Campoy, and Eric Del Castillo combined for 40 points.
Spain is now 2-0, having also defeated Puerto Rico yesterday, 89-63.
Lithuania, on the other hand, is also undefeated in Pool A with a 2-0 record after breezing past Puerto Rico earlier in the night, 91-79.
Gilas, without ace Kieffer Alas, was paced by Bonn Daja’s 12-point, five-rebound performance in their second straight loss of the tournament.
The Philippines will conclude the group phase against Puerto Rico on Tuesday, July 2, at 8:00 PM at the same venue.
The Scores:
Spain 96 – Garcia-Plata 15, Del Pino 14, Del Castillo 13, Campoy 13, Platteeuw 8, Blanco 6, Kemu 6, Gomez 5, Gimenez 4, Huelves 3, Villar 0.
Philippines 34 – Daja 12, Ludovice 7, Morales 4, Williams 4, Chua 3, Velasquez 2, Alegre 2, Diao 0, Amos 0, Banal 0, Gomez de Liano 0, Arejola 0.
Quarterscores: 30-2, 57-13, 76-24, 96-34
