GILAS Pilipinas U18’s campaign for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup crown came to an end Friday after powerhouse China pulled away for a 117-103 victory in their quarterfinal clash in Ahmedabad, India.
The Philippine side was unable to recover after China established a double-digit advantage early and maintained control throughout the contest.
Kenji Moral provided the offensive spark for Gilas, finishing with 26 points. Luke Atacador contributed 14, while Ethan Agugas and Jan Cagurungan scored 12 apiece.
China’s perimeter shooting proved decisive as it buried 17 three-pointers, repeatedly preventing the Philippines from making a sustained comeback.
The Chinese also built a 24-point advantage during the game despite committing 16 turnovers. Gilas capitalized on those mistakes for 26 points and likewise had the edge in fast-break production, 34-26.
China nevertheless had enough firepower to keep the Filipinos at bay.
Zichao Wang led the Chinese attack with 25 points, while Yuxiu Chen added 23. Xuan Hao and Yizhaojie Zhang finished with 16 points each.
The Philippines will instead enter the classification round, where it will battle for a fifth to eighth place finish. (Adrian Co)
