ARGENTINA sent the Philippines into its third loss, 74-71, on Wednesday at the conclusion of the preliminaries of the Fiba Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Rosario, Argentina.
The Batang Gilas cagers played their most competitive match of the tournament but still fell short against the hosts, falling to 0-3 in Group D heading into the round-of-16 where they will be facing Canada, the top-seed in Group C.
Gerry Abadiano and Terrence Fortea each had 17 points, while Kai Sotto had 13 points and 15 rebounds for Batang Gilas.
Batang Gilas still had a chance to bring the game into overtime but Sotto missed a three on the team’s final possession.
Juan Francisco Fernandez had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Ezequiel Paz had 11 points for Argentina, which claimed its first win to take third place in Group D.
It was a gallant stand for Batang Gilas, who went on a 7-0 run capped by a tiebreaking three by Fortea, 64-61, the team’s biggest lead of the game.
The hosts recovered with Fernandez hitting two free throws to give Argentina a 74-68 lead. Fortea hit another three but Batang Gilas failed to score after that.
The Philippines will play Canada on Thursday. Canada went 3-0 in Group C, beating Montenegro, Egypt and New Zealand.
The scores:
Argentina 74 – Fernandez 15, Paz 11, Cavallin 10, Diaz 9, Bertona 8, Scacchi 7, Copes 4, Chapero 3, Varisco 3, Bressan 2, Milovich 2, Lugarini 0.
Philippines 71 – Abadiano 17, Fortea 17, Sotto 13, Calimag 9, Tamayo 6, Padrigao 3, Guadana 2, Lazaro 2, Cortez 2, Andrada 0.
Quarterscores: 20-13; 36-32; 58-56; 74-71.
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