Gilas’ title-retention hopes end with 44-point beatdown from China

MANILA, September 15 ------ Gilas Pilipinas’ bid for back-to-back Asian Games titles ended in brutal fashion at the hands of a familiar foe. The Philippines were demolished by China, 105-61, in their Group C matchup in the men’s 5-on-5 basketball event of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asiad at the Aichi International Arena.

Gilas still had a chance to advance to the quarterfinals despite the loss. However, China emphatically erased that possibility by beating the Philippines by more than the 37-point margin the Filipinos needed to preserve their advantage in point differential.

A loss by 37 points or fewer would have allowed Gilas to emerge as the best third-seeded team among Groups A, B, and C and keep its quarterfinal hopes alive. Calvin Oftana was Gilas’ lone double-digit scorer with 13 points, while Sedrick Barefield followed with nine points and four assists.

The Philippines’ hopes, however, were already dim at halftime as they trailed by 36, 66-30. Gilas was also overwhelmed by China’s defense, shooting just 23-of-71 (32%) from the field and 7-of-30 (23%) from long range. China, meanwhile, outrebounded the Philippines, 55-36, while also connecting from beyond the arc at a 12-of-32 (38%) clip. Junjie Wang led China with 20 points and 14 rebounds, while Sanning Liao and Mingxuan Hu added 14 and 13 points, respectively.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com