MANILA, Philippines - China used its superior height and heft advantage to the hilt and whipped Gilas, 91-49, in the FIBA-Asia Under-18 Championship to the chagrin of the big Filipino crowd at the Al-Gharafa Gym in Doha, Qatar yesterday.
The fancied Chinese dominated the boards, came through with eight blocks and pounded their way inside to score 21 free throws as they dominated the Filipinos from start to finish to post the lopsided win.
The loss was the Filipinos’ second against two wins although they have secured a spot in the quarters following thei come-from-behind win over Jordan, 82-79, the other day.
Zhao Rui scored a game-high 25 points and finished with eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal while Yang Kai and Zou Yuchen added 14 and 13 points, respectively, and Sun Minghul and Shao Yinglun each scored 11.
China snared 57 rebounds as against Gilas’ 29 and made 28 trips to the line, 23 more than the Filipinos, who converted three.