Philippines tops Chinese Taipei in FIBA Asia U-16 semis, gains ticket to World Championship Gilas Pilipinas won’t be the country’s only national team that will play in the world basketball stage next year. The Philippine national youth basketball team followed the path blazed by their senior counterparts after scoring a victory over Chinese Taipei, 77-72, in the semifinals of the FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship in Tehran, Iran on Thursday. Ateneo high school gunner Jolo Mendoza had 28 points on four three-pointers, including a long bomb with 1:21 left that gave the Philippines back the lead for good. The win gave the Filipinos one of three spots to next year’s FIBA Under-17 World Championship to be held in Dubai. The Philippines also booked a gold medal showdown with traditional Asian powerhouse China, which dispatched Japan, 99-78, in the other semifinal pairing. Leading by five points at the half, the Filipinos were ambushed by the Taiwanese in the third quarter, which Chinese Taipei won 22-12. Chinese Taipei opened up an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter, 68-60, with 6:35 left in the match. But the Philippines came charging back to cut the lead to a single point, 70-69, after a 9-1 run. The Filipinos were still behind by a single point, 72-71, when Mendoza hit his clutch three-pointer. After a defensive stop, team captain Mike Nieto, who finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, scored on a putback with 37 seconds left to put the Philippines ahead, 76-72. Last August, the Philippines returned to the world basketball stage after Gilas bagged the silver in the FIBA Asia Championship. The national youth team coached by Talk ‘N Text assistant Jamike Jarin is assured of at least a similar finish in the tournament after the triumph over Chinese Taipei, the only team in the tournament to deal the Philippines a loss.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 09:02:58 +0000
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