China gave Gilas Pilipinas Girls a reality check, sending the Filipinas down to the classification phase of the FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup in Malaysia.
It was a mountain too tall to climb for Gilas Pilipinas Girls.
The young Filipinas fought valiantly in the early stretches, but China proved too much as the Philippines suffered a 82-50 beatdown in the FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup on Friday, September 26.
Ella Smith led Gilas Girls with 14 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, but the Nationals were brought back to reality coming off a thrilling 77-75 escape against South Korea—a game decided by Tiffany Reyes’ dramatic buzzer-beater.
[ALSO READ: Tiffany Reyes celebrates birthday with game-winner for Gilas over Korea FIBA U16 Asia Cup]
Gilas Pilipinas put up some fight and held a 21-19 lead after the opening frame. But China’s strong 26-10 turnaround in the second canto put the Filipinas in a 31-45 hole at halftime.
The Asian powerhouse then led by as many as 29 points en route to arranging a blockbuster semifinal showdown with three-time defending champion Australia.
Yuanshan Li fired 18 markers to pace China, who held a whopping 62-36 rebounding edge against their smaller Filipina counterparts.
With the loss, the Philippines dropped to a fifth-place classification match against Chinese Taipei on Saturday, September 27 at 2:00 p.m. (PH time).
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.