Gilas Pilipinas endured another lopsided loss to South Korea, absorbing a 69-42 defeat to close the 2026 Hana Bank Invitational on Sunday at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena.
The result gave Korea a sweep of the two-game tune-up series as both teams continue preparations for the 20th Asian Games.
Gilas also struggled in the series opener last Friday, falling 81-55.
The Philippines had virtually no offensive rhythm to start Sunday’s contest, managing just two points through the first nine minutes of play — a basket by Sedrick Barefield.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser finally added a basket in the closing moments of the opening period, but Gilas still found itself trailing 19-4 after the first quarter.
Korea continued to pull away in the second period, capitalizing on Gilas’ struggles to stretch the lead to 30 points, 36-6, before taking a 38-14 advantage into halftime. The Koreans then refused to let up after the break, with Yu Kisang leading the way from deep.
Gilas finally found some offensive traction in the second half, but the deficit proved too large to overcome as Korea comfortably managed the game through the final two quarters.
Zavier Lucero was the lone bright spot for the Philippines, finishing with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go with six rebounds. Adrian Nocum added nine points and three assists, while Justine Baltazar was held scoreless but hauled down 10 rebounds.
Ganuelas-Rosser and Barefield each contributed seven points.
The Philippines also saw Justin Arana leave the game after hurting his right ankle midway through the contest.
Lee Hyunjung was once again spectacular for Korea, tallying 11 points, 15 rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals.
Yu finished with 15 points while shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range, while Yeo Junseok chipped in 14 points and three assists.
Gilas will now head to Japan for the Asian Games, where it will open its campaign against Bahrain on September 11.
The Philippines will then face Kazakhstan on September 12 before wrapping up the group stage against China on September 14.
The Scores:
Korea 69 – Yu 15, Yeo 14, Lee H 11, Jang 10, Lee J 6, Byeon 6, Moon 4, Lee WS 2, Lee S 0, Lee WS 0.
Philippines 42 – Lucero 14, Nocum 9, Barefield 7, Ganuelas-Rosser 7, Trollano 3, Bolick 2, Bates 0, Baltazar 0, Ahanmisi 0, Abarrientos 0, Arana 0.
Quarterscores: 19-4, 38-14, 56-27 , 69-42.
