Philippines rout winless Macau in Fiba Asia Cup

Jeff Chan shoots over his smaller defender. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas-Pilipinas II hardly broke a sweat in defeating lightweight Macau, 98-46, Monday to notch its third straight win in the Fiba Asia Cup in Tokyo, Japan.

With Marcus Douthit having a much-needed rest, the Philippines still played like it had its big man in tow as it jumped out to an early 16-2 lead and never looked back.

The Nationals, who cruised past Uzbekistan, 85-50, in their previous stint, overmatched Macau and showed no signs of any let up.

Jeff Chan led the onslaught with 18 points, 16 coming in the first half.

Gilas-Pilipinas, which only loss dealt by China in its opening game, improved to 3-1 to grab first place in Group A.

LA Tenorio buried a triple to open up the final frame before two dunks by Gabe Norwood and one by Sonny Thoss gave PH its biggest lead at 52.

The Philippines moves on to the quarterfinals, which starts on Thursday, with its opponent yet to be determined.