September 20 ------ The Gilas Pilipinas Men's Under-16 team roared back to contention in the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship thanks to a 66-42 demolition of Kazakhstan. Kieffer Alas shrugged off a poor shooting performance to put up 18 points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and two assists in 31 minutes to lead the young Gilas squad.
The Gilas Boys struggled to find their shot in the first half, making just one of 11 three-pointers, and Kazakhstan entered the break with a 30-25 advantage. But the tide turned in the third period, as the Philippines held Kazakhstan to just three points to completely take over the game. They pulled ahead by double-digits, 47-33, at the end of the period and never looked back. Joaquin Ludovice added 11 points, and Bonn Ervin Daja had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Gilas Boys. They shot better in the second half, going 6-of-10 from long distance. Alisher Muratuly led Kazakhstan with 15 points but he shot just 6-of-18 from the field. With the result, the Philippines is now 1-1 in Group D, behind China who improved to 2-0 after a 95-33 rout of Malaysia also on Tuesday morning.
The Philippines will play Malaysia early Wednesday morning, with a spot in the quarterfinal playoffs at stake. The top four teams in the tournament will earn tickets to the 2024 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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