GILAS Pilipinas Youth put on its running shoes late and ran Qatar to the ground to take a 77-61 victory and stay undefeated in the 2022 Fiba Under-18 Asian Championship on Monday at Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran.
Mason Amos led the Philippines with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Jared Bahay shot 9-of-11 from the free throw line to end up with 15 points, three boards, and three assists in a fitting follow-up to a 64-point drubbing of Syria on opening day.
[READ: Clarkson leads 13-man Gilas lineup for Lebanon tie]
The pair keyed the Filipinos' 12-1 spurt to open the fourth quarter that enabled Gilas Youth to finally break away from the pesky Qataris and build a 66-49 lead following a James Nacua layup with 6:52 left.
Gilas Youth shoots for the Group C sweep when it plays Chinese Taipei on Tuesday.
It was the kind of strong finish coach Josh Reyes wanted from his boys, who limited Qatar to 13 points in the first quarter on the way to securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the 10-team showcase.
Mohammed Hashim Abbasher and Moustapha Ndao hit 14 points each in Qatar's second loss in as many games.
The scores:
PHILIPPINES 77 - Amos 19, Bahay 15, Coronel 9, Gamber 7, Abadam 7, Demisana 6, Pablo 4, Gagate 4, Alao 2, Nacua 2, Andres 2, Porter 0.
QATAR 61 - Abbasher 14, Mou. Ndao 14, Mousa 11, Moh. Ndao 7, Alnabawy 6, Abuissa 6, Al-Abdulla 3, Hajar 0, Radi 0.
Quarters: 24-18, 34-35, 54-48, 77-61.
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