Gilas Pilipinas Boys through to FIBA Asia U16 QFs after knocking out Korea

Gilas Pilipinas Boys made history as they knocked out South Korea with a 95-71 win to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA U16 Asian Championship early Friday morning (Philippine time) in Doha, Qatar.

It was the first time that the Philippines defeated Korea in FIBA youth-level competitions.

The huge victory also allowed Gilas Boys to inch closer to a ticket to the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey as four slots have been allotted to the semifinalists of this tournament.

Joaquin Ludovice top-scored for Gilas Pilipinas Boys with 25 points while Kurt Velasquez chipped in 17 markers, seven assists, and four boards.

Several other Filipinos made big contributions, including Kiefer Alas, the team's leading scorer heading into this game, with a double-double outing of 11 points and 13 rebounds on top of four dimes and two steals.

Gilas Boys got off to a hot start, building a 10-point lead in the first period. They then went on a 17-0 run behind the scoring of Ludovice, Edryn Morales, and Bonn Daja.

That allowed the Josh Reyes-mentored squad to take a comfortable 60-38 lead into the halftime break.

But the Koreans refused to go down without a fight as they continued to battle in the second half. The Filipinos, however, weren't fazed by Korea's attempts at a comeback as Alas, Samuel Alegre, and Morales poured in baskets to keep Korea at bay.

Gilas Boys will take on undefeated Japan (3-0) in the quarterfinals on Saturday morning with the winner advancing to the semis against either Australia or Jordan.

The scores:

Gilas Pilipinas Boys (95) - Ludovice 25, Velasquez 17, Daja 13, Alas 11, Amos 10, Morales 9, Alegre 4, Diao 4, Williams 2, Banal 0, Chua 0, Gomez de Liano 0.

South Korea (71) - Edi 18, Yang 11, So 10, Eom 9, Yoon 6, Kim MG 4, Kim MJ 4, Kim TI 3, Jung 3, Song 2, Kim HJ 1, Heo 0.

Quarters: 28-18, 60-38, 80-54, 95-71.

Gilas Pilipinas Boys results:

Group D: China def. Philippines, 84-67
Group D: Philippines def. Kazakhstan, 66-42
Group D: Philippines def. Malaysia, 75-52

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News