GILAS Pilipinas suffered another lopsided loss to South Korea, 69-42, on Sunday as the Koreans completed a two-game sweep of their exhibition series in Suwon, South Korea.
South Korea pulled away early and never allowed the Philippines to mount a serious comeback at the Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena.
Yoo Ki-sang spearheaded the Korean attack with 15 points, all coming from five three-pointers, while Yeo Jun-seok added 14 points.
The hosts established control in the opening period, with Yoo hitting back-to-back triples to help South Korea build a double-digit cushion. Korea ended the first quarter with a commanding 19-4 lead.
The Philippines continued to struggle offensively in the second period as South Korea kept increasing the gap. A three-pointer from Lee Hyun-joong pushed the Korean advantage beyond 20 points before Yeo, Moon Yu-hyeon and Jang Jae-seok fueled a series of fastbreak opportunities.
South Korea went into halftime ahead, 38-14.
The Koreans then broke the game wide open in the third quarter. Three-pointers from Byun Jun-hyung and Lee Jung-hyun extended the lead to 30 points, while Yeo continued to punish Gilas in transition.
South Korea carried a 56-27 advantage into the final period and maintained its intensity until the final buzzer.
The result came two days after South Korea defeated Gilas, 81-55, in the first meeting between the teams.
Gilas is using the two-game series as part of its preparations for the Asian Games, where the Philippines will attempt to defend its men’s basketball gold medal.
The Philippine squad traveled to South Korea with an 11-man group, with its final roster spot being kept open for Justin Brownlee, who remains in the United States while recovering from injuries.
Gilas opens its Asian Games campaign against Bahrain on Sept. 11, followed by games against Kazakhstan on Sept. 12 and China on Sept. 14. (Adrian Co)
