GILAS Pilipinas Youth recovered from a sluggish opening half with a dominant third-quarter surge to beat Thailand, 91-62, on Monday night in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad, India.
The victory gave the Philippines a 2-1 record and second place in Group A, sending the team to the qualification round for the quarterfinals.
Luke Atacador led the Philippines with 16 points, while George Green and Elias Gish added 15 apiece. Chog Moral finished with 12 points.
Gilas struggled to find its rhythm early and trailed by as many as 12 points against Thailand, which entered the game without a win, but the Filipinos eventually settled down and turned the game around after halftime.
After Thailand tied the score at 50-all in the third quarter, Gish, Moral and Ethan Aguas sparked a 21-0 run that completely shifted the momentum in Gilas’ favor. The Philippines finished the period ahead, 71-50.
Gilas continued to pull away in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 unanswered points while keeping Thailand scoreless for the first six minutes of the final period, stretching the lead to as high as 33 points.
The Philippines will next play the third-place finisher from Group C in the qualification round for the quarterfinals. (Adrian Co)
