Gilas Youth bows to Korea, sent to battle for seventh place in Fiba Asia U16

Gilas Youth vs Korea in the Fiba U16 Asian Championships. –FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas Youth was relegated to the seventh place game after losing to South Korea, 88-77, in the Fiba U16 Asian Championship Saturday at Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall in Doha, Qatar.

Within striking distance after three quarters, Gilas couldn’t keep South Korea from pulling away thanks to a 13-4 run in the first four minutes of the fourth period.

A 3-pointer by Lee Gwanwoo gave South Korea a 74-61 lead at the six-minute mark of the final frame while Ku Mingyo sealed the game, 83-72, with 1:01 remaining.

Mingyo had a team-high 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.

Jared Bahay led all scorers with 25 points on top of four rebounds and nine assists for Gilas, which bowed out of World Cup contention following a 109-83 loss to Australia in the quarterfinals on Friday.

The young Nationals will face either Iran or India in the battle for seventh place on Sunday.

South Korea hit 53 percent from the field including 10-of-21 from long range while Gilas struggled from three with only five makes out of 24 tries.