By REYNALD MAGALLON
Gilas Boys ushered in the new era under head coach LA Tenorio with a 113-62 romp of Vietnam to open their FIBA U16 Asia Cup SEABA qualifiers campaign in style at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center, Saturday, May 24.
The Nationals allowed the visiting Vietnamese to hang around in the opening frame before stepping on the gas pedal and leaving them in the dust the rest of the way for their first win of the regional tournament.
All players Tenorio fielded scored for the team with Travis Pascual leading the charge with 16 points to go with four rebounds and four steals while Jolo Pascual added 14.
The 6-foot-7 Prince Carino also made his presence felt inside the paint with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds while Mark Jhello Lumagub and Jhustin Hallare had 10 apiece.
Gilas Boys though had to shake off some jitters in the opening minutes of their first game – a stretch which Vietnam made sure to take advantage of to take a 13-4 lead.
The hosts however came alive and seized control of the ball game from there, forcing the Vietnamese to multiple turnovers which fueled a huge 32-13 second quarter explosion.
When the dust settled at the intermission, Gilas already established a 61-33 lead – an advantage that was never threatened from the rest of the way.
Hoang Minh Khang Nguyen paced Vietnam with 13 points.
Gilas takes on Thailand next Sunday, May 25.
The young Thais are also coming off a 56-47 victory over Malaysia while the other pairing early in the day saw Indonesia clobber Singapore, 68-47.
