BATANG GILAS SUFFERS SECOND STRAIGHT LOPSIDED LOSS IN FIBA ASIA U18
Batang Gilas suffers second straight lopsided loss in Fiba Asia U18
The Philippines fell short of a podium finish after a lopsided defeat to China in the bronze medal game of the FIBA U18 Asia Championship at the Stadium 29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
The Philippines fell short of a podium finish after a lopsided defeat to China in the bronze medal game of the FIBA U18 Asia Championship at the Stadium 29 in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
After losing to the Philippines in the group China exacted its revenge with a 76-57 beating of the Batang Gilas. The Philippines struggled on the offensive end the whole game with a 35.6 percent clip compared to the Chinese, who shot way better at 45.6 percent.
China came out with guns slinging and took a commanding 27-14 lead after a quarter of action. The lead ballooned to 17 points at halftime.
The Filipinos finally found signs of life in the second half and trimmed the lead to just 13 points. But China’s offense was too good and the Chinese cruised to a comfortable victory.
Quanze Wang exploded for 27 points to lead the Chinese. He also grabbed 14 boards, dished out four assists, had two steals and a block, while shooting 11 of 21 from the field, including four three-pointers. Jie Xu, who played all 40 minutes of the game, was the only other Chinese player in double figures with 18 points along with five rebounds and seven assists.
The Batang Gilas only had two players in double-digit scoring-Kai Sotto and AJ Edu.
The 16-year-old Sotto had 16 points, eight rebounds and a block, while Edu tallied 14 markers, eight rebounds and a block.
Despite just finishing fourth, the Philippines did a great job in the Asian meet and still earned a trip to the FIBA U19 World Cup next year. /