Gilas crushes Qatar to reach Asian Games QFs

Gilas Pilipinas exploded right from the get-go and never looked back to wallop Qatar, 80-41, and punch its way to the quarterfinals stage of the 19th Asian Games on Monday in Hangzhou, China.

Gilas will face a familiar foe in powerhouse Iran in the quarterfinals stage slated for Tuesday at 12 p.m.

Calvin Oftana bounced back from a scoreless outing in the loss to Jordan last Saturday as he buried three triples in the first quarter, which ended with the Philippines enjoying a comfortable 33-14 lead.

During that frame, Qatar was limited to just four field goals as the Filipinos took full control of the game.

A long jumper from CJ Perez late in the third period sent the Philippines to its biggest lead at 43 ahead of the payoff period, 73-30. The youthful Qatar side, whose youngest player is only 15 years old, wasn't able to come back from that hole as Gilas breezed their way to the victory.

Perez and June Mar Fajardo led the way for Gilas with 12 points apiece while Oftana finished with 11.

En route to the playoffs, Gilas beat Bahrain and Thailand but bowed to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson-led Jordan in the final group stage game. With a 2-1 card, the Filipinos had to play Qatar in the qualification to quarterfinals as only the top four teams after the eliminations will earn an outright QF ticket.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News