AICHI-NAGOYA, Japan — Gilas Pilipinas’ title defense ended in a lopsided 105-61 loss to China in the Asian Games at the Aichi-Nagoya International Arena, ending the Philippines’ campaign before the quarterfinals.
The 44-point defeat left the defending champions short of the 37-point margin they needed to advance to the next round.
China dominated from the opening quarter, turning an early 16-11 advantage into a 36-16 lead by the end of the period. The Chinese team continued to control the game and held a 36-point advantage at halftime.
Gilas repeatedly attempted to cut into the deficit through three-point shots from Jerrick Ahanmisi, Calvin Oftana, Robert Bolick and Justine Baltazar, but China maintained its defensive pressure and prevented the Philippines from mounting a comeback.
Junjie Wang led China with 20 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. Sanning Liao added 14 points and four rebounds, while Mingxuan Hu scored 13.
Boqiao Jiao and Li Yuezhao each contributed 11 points, while Jinqiu Hu and Yongxi Cui added 10 apiece.
Oftana was the only Gilas player to score in double figures, finishing with 13 points. Sedrick Barefield had nine points and four assists.
The result sent Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the quarterfinals, with Jordan carrying a minus-five point differential and Saudi Arabia at minus-11.
Gilas Pilipinas finished the group stage with a 1-2 record. The Philippines opened with an 89-85 loss to Bahrain before recovering with a 109-78 victory over Kazakhstan.
However, the Philippines’ plus-27 point differential was not enough to overcome China, which completed the group stage with a 3-0 record.
Three years ago in Hangzhou, Gilas Pilipinas, led by Justin Brownlee, defeated China in the semifinals on its way to the country’s first Asian Games men’s basketball gold medal in 61 years.
This marks the first time Gilas Pilipinas failed to reach the quarterfinals of the Asian Games.
