SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Gilas Pilipinas Youth delivered a dominant performance on Thursday night, overpowering Malaysia 96-61 at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center to wrap up the group stage of the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA qualifiers with a flawless record.
Shaking off their previous lackluster showing against Indonesia, the young Filipino squad played with renewed energy and sharper execution. They clamped down on defense and moved the ball more effectively, pulling away early and never letting up.
After a brief deadlock at 7-all, Gilas unleashed a 21-5 run to end the first quarter with a commanding 28-12 advantage. From there, they maintained complete control, keeping Malaysia at bay with aggressive defense and efficient offense.
With the victory, Gilas secured the top seed heading into the championship match against Indonesia. Both teams have already qualified for the FIBA U16 Asia Cup in August, to be held in Mongolia.
“We needed to get back to playing our style—disciplined and team-oriented,” said head coach LA Tenorio. “The boys started drifting away from our system. I reminded them to focus and stick to our game plan regardless of who we’re playing.”
Travis Pascual and Jeremiah Antolin led the offensive charge off the bench, each contributing 15 points. Pascual also dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds, while Antolin hit 7-of-9 from the field and added four boards and a steal.
Prince Cariño made his presence felt with 13 points and 11 rebounds, along with two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Starter Everaigne Cruz had an all-around effort with 14 points, four rebounds, and three each of assists, steals, and blocks.
The Filipino squad’s defense forced Malaysia into 27 turnovers, which translated into 41 points for Gilas—a key factor in the blowout win.
Malaysia’s Cameron Jeremie Pagbe Tan paced his team with 16 points, one of only two players on their side to reach double figures. Malaysia ended the preliminaries with a 2-3 record and is set to face Thailand for the final slot to the FIBA U16 Asia Cup.
With momentum on their side, Gilas Pilipinas Youth is poised for a strong finish in the qualifiers and eager to carry that energy into the main tournament later this year.
