MANILA, Philippines – The Gilas Pilipinas Youth U16 team gave LA Tenorio a dominant win in his head coaching debut as it rolled past Vietnam, 113-62, in the opening day of the FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center in Pampanga on Saturday, May 24.
All 12 players fielded in by Tenorio managed to put up a basket in the 51-point blowout, with Travis Pascual and Prince Cariño leading the charge with 16 points each.
Jolo Pascual added 14 points, while Jhustin Hallare and Jhello Lumague also breached the double-digit scoring territory for the Philippines with 10 markers apiece.
With Gilas Youth staring at an early 9-point deficit just three minutes into the ball game, 4-13, it was Travis and Jolo who injected life into the Philippines’ offense as they unloaded 8 and 7 points, respectively, to help the hosts overtake Vietnam with a 29-20 lead heading into the second frame.
The two Pascuals continued to torch Vietnam in the second, with Travis scoring 8 more points and Jolo pouring in 6 markers, as the Filipinos pulled away from the Vietnamese for good with a massive 61-33 halftime lead.
Overall, Gilas Youth shot an efficient 48-of-93 clip from the field (51%), while allowing Vietnam to convert on only 21 of its 65 attempts (32%).
The Philippines also dominated Vietnam in the rebounding department, 62-36, as well as in assists, 36-13.
Gilas Youth shoots for a 2-0 start in the six-team tournament when it battles Thailand at the same venue on Sunday, May 25, at 7 pm.
The top two squads at the end of the single round-robin eliminations will then automatically slug it out in the final on May 30 for the gold medal and a spot in the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup in Mongolia later this year.
The Scores
Philippines 113 – Pascual T. 16, Cariño 16, Pascual J. 14, Hallare 10, Lumague 10, Delos Reyes 9, Cruz 9, Restificar 8, Cabañero 6, Antolin 6, Tan-Chi 6, Miranda 3.
Vietnam 62 – Nguyen HM. 13, Nguyen LC 12, Vo 10, Nguyen MA. 5, Vu 5, Luu 5, Bui 5, Phan 3, Nhu 2, Nguyen HQ. 2, Angus 0, Do 0.
Quarters: 29-20, 61-33, 83-50, 113-62.
– Rappler.com