Gilas Boys to face Bahrain for FIBA U16 Asia Cup quarterfinals bid

Gilas Youth finished in third place in Group B after bowing down against unbeaten No. 15 New Zealand on Tuesday evening in the FIBA Under-16 Asia Cup at the Buyant Ukhaa Sports Complex.

The 35th-ranked youth Nationals struggled from the start, trailing 42-26 at halftime before giving up 43 points in the second half to suffer their second defeat in the tourney, 85-54.

Gilas shot an abysmal 26-percent from the field and 18.2-percent beyond the arc, while failing to stop New Zealand’s Liam Keogh and Lawson Pryor, who finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Jhustin Hallare led Gilas with 13 points, while Mark Lumagub chipped in 11 points and seven boards. 

STILL ALIVE

Gilas Pilipinas Youth’s title hopes in the FIBA U16 Asia Cup remained alive after they advanced to the qualification phase for the quarterfinals.

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Gilas Pilipinas Youth will look to keep their tournament hopes alive in a quarterfinals qualification clash against world No. 94 Bahrain, who finished second in Group A, on Thursday with the winner set to face either China or South Korea.

Their 65-60 win against Indonesia on Monday was pivotal in them securing a chance for a quarterfinals slot as they finished with a 1-2 slate and just one point ahead of the Indonesians, who finished winless in three games.

New Zealand finished atop the group unbeaten, while Chinese Taipei, who dominated Gilas 106-82, finished in second with 2-1 record and five points.

The Philippines have prevailed against Bahrain in their past two matchups in the tournament, winning 62-45 in 2009, and most recently in 2015 with a dominant 95-58 victory. 

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