GILAS Youth suffered a 56-point loss at the hands of mighty Australia, 36-92, in the semifinals of the 2023 Fiba Asia U16 Cup semifinals in Doha, Qatar early Sunday.
READ: Gilas Youth books ticket to Fiba U17 World Cup after great comeback vs Japan
A pair of six-point outings from Irus Chua and CJ Amos proved to be the best individual scoring displays that the Philippines managed against the world's fourth-ranked Under-16 side.
Despite the lopsided loss, the youngsters have a chance to clinch the bronze medal in a grudge match against China on Sunday (10 p.m. local time). The Chinese beat Gilas Youth, 84-67, in the group phase on Sept. 18.
The team went on a historic run since to clinch a spot in the 2024 Fiba U17 World Cup, but was sent crashing by an Aussie side that was on fire right from the opening tip.
This was reflected by the Gilas U16's abysmal 10-point output in the first half (three in the second quarter) against Australia's 45-point eruption in just 20 minutes of play.
From scoring to rebounding and everything in between, the Aussies had full control all the way to the final buzzer with the lead reaching a high of 60 points.
The bronze medal game between the Philippines and China will precede an all-Oceania final featuring Australia and New Zealand.
The scores:
Australia (92) - Daniels 12, Walker 11, Pilimai 11, Sewell 10, Cotton 9, Cheesman 7, Dickeson 7, Kuany 6, Riddle 6, Brammall 5, Beauchamp 4, Duff-Tytler 4.
Philippines (36) - Chua 6, Amos 6, Banal 5, Diao 4, Ludovice 4, Morales 4, Williams 3, Alas 2, Gomez De Liano 2, Alegre 0, Daja 0, Velasquez 0.
Quarterscores: 22-7; 45-10; 71-20; 92-36.
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