Luis Scola was able to stay away from his fourth foul and the Argentine frontline hit its shots from inside and out as the 2004 Olympic gold medalists took leads of as many as 15 points, 68-53, with 1:28 left.
Jimmy Alapag, a one-time PBA MVP in his swan international tournament, came off the bench late in the period and restored some sense of order with two triples that kept the deficit at a manageable level.
The Argentine defense clicked as it held the Philippines to sporadic baskets in a three-minute span that resulted in that 15-point bubble.
Gabe Norwood again had a highlight-reel play, scoring on his second dunk–this one with the left hand off a drive–over Marcos Mata that made it a 48-all game with still 6:20 left.
After just three quarters, the Argentines already had 12 triples with Mara accounting for three.
Team Philippines made 9-of-19 attempts with Jason Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo hitting two each.