GILAS Pilipinas Youth ended its FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 campaign with an eighth-place finish after losing to Chinese Taipei, 89-78, on Sunday at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
The Philippines appeared headed for a strong finish after building a 38-26 advantage, but Chinese Taipei turned the game around with a decisive 23-6 run late in the first half for a 49-41 halftime lead.
The momentum stayed on Chinese Taipei’s side after the break as it stretched the advantage to 72-60 entering the final period before completing the victory.
Kenji Yob Moral once again led the Philippines, producing 22 points and nine rebounds. Ethan Aguas added 15 points, while Lino Jr. Tubongbanua finished with 10.
Carter Coleman paced Chinese Taipei with 23 points. Yu-Sheng Xing, Ting-Kuan Liu and Tz-Jie Weng combined for 41 more points to help secure the win.
The defeat gave Gilas three consecutive losses to close the tournament after the team had advanced to the quarterfinal stage.
Despite the late struggles, the Philippines improved on its 11th-place finish in the 2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup in Jordan, moving up to eighth in this year’s competition. (Adrian Co)
