Fiba Asia U-18: Batang Gilas absorbs 42-point loss to China

China proved too much for the Philippines Sunday (Manila time) in the Fiba Asia U-18 Championship in Doha, Qatar. Photo from fibaasia.net

MANILA, Philippines — A day after escaping host Qatar, the Philippines suffered its worst defeat in the Fiba Asia U-18 Championship, 49-91, at the hands of powerhouse China Sunday morning (Manila time) at the Al-Gharafa Stadium in Doha.

Batang Gilas, coming off a pulsating 82-79 win over Qatar in a game where it overcame a 15-point deficit in the final seven minutes, found itself in a too deep of a hole against China as early as the second quarter and never recovered.

It was just a seven-point deficit for the Filipinos at the end of the first quarter before China went on a 22-10 scoring run in the second period for a 44-25 lead by halftime. China kept its foot on the gas pedal in the final 20 minutes of the game to run away with a 42-point victory.

Not one player from the Philippines notched double figures in scoring with Brandrey Bienes’ measly nine points leading the way. Zhao Rui’s 25 points anchored the charge for the still unbeaten China.

The young Nationals slipped to 2-2 and will take on Malaysia Monday morning to end their campaign in the second round before moving onto the knockout stages.

China shut the Philippines down at the offensive end with the Filipinos able to hit just 26% of their attempts from the field. China also dominated the rebounding department, 57-29.