Gilas Pilipinas Boys beat Chinese Taipei to open FIBA U18 Asia Cup campaign

August 14 ------ The Gilas Pilipinas Youth Men’s team squeaked past Chinese Taipei, 89-88, to open its campaign in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup in India.

The Philippine U18 squad started strong, taking a 31-12 lead after the first period before heading into halftime with a 53-29 advantage. The Gilas Boys led by as many as 27 points, 60-33, early in the third period after a triple from Andrew Xavier Chio. However, Chinese Taipei rallied to outscore the Philippines, 30-21, in the frame to trim the deficit to 74-59.

With around six minutes remaining, the Philippines held an 83-68 lead before Chinese Taipei unleashed a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to 83-80. Sizco Roquid Bautista’s split from the free throw line after a foul by Shao-En Huang broke the Philippines’ scoring drought, before JB Cagurungan drilled a triple to give Gilas an 87-83 lead with less than two minutes remaining.

Li-An Chuang answered with a triple of his own to keep Chinese Taipei within striking distance. Matthew Coleman then converted a basket to give Chinese Taipei the lead with seven seconds left, prompting the Philippines to call timeout. Ethan Aguas, however, came through with the game-winning basket, while Ting-Kuan Liu missed his final attempt as the Philippines held on for the victory.

Cagurungan caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down seven triples for 21 points while adding five rebounds and a steal. Aguas contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and a steal, while Bruce Tubongbanua and Prince Cariño added 10 points apiece. Liu led Chinese Taipei with 23 points, six rebounds, and a steal, while Coleman finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Jia-Han Huang added 15 points. The Philippines will face Australia next on Saturday.

Scores:

Philippines 89 - Cagurungan 21, Aguas 16, Carino 10, Tubongbanua 10, Gish 7, Moral 7, Chio 6, Roquid 6, Green 4, Atacador 2, Lacson 0, Pasinos 0.

Chinese Taipei 88 - Liu 23, Coleman 22, Huang JH 15, Chen 7, Huang SE 6, Jhou 5, Weng 4, Chuang 3, Xing 3, Pan 0, Yang 0.

Quarters: 31-12, 53-29, 74-59, 89-88.

Source: gmanetwork.com