By REYNALD MAGALLON
It seemed like Chinese Taipei had Gilas Pilipinas’ numbers even in the juniors division.
The Gilas Boys found Chinese Taipei too hot to handle and absorbed a 106-82 loss in an inauspicious start to their FIBA U16 Asia Cup campaign Sunday, Aug. 31, at the Buyant Ukhaa Sport Complex in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
A combination of an error-prone showing and a cold-shooting night from deep spelled doom for the Filipinos as the Taiwanese took advantage to erect a lead that went to as high as 30 points in the second half.
Six-foot-seven center Prince Cariño was the lone bright spot for Gilas with 23 points and six rebounds but was not enough to keep his team in the game after Chinese Taipei turned a slim 28-21 advantage at the end of the opening frame into a commanding 15-point lead at the half, 57-42.
The loss was reminiscent of the same fate the Gilas seniors team suffered against Chinese Taipei when it also absorbed a stunning 87-95 loss to also open its FIBA Asia Cup campaign last month.
Like in the seniors division, the Gilas Boys were ranked higher than Chinese Taipei, sitting at No. 35 against the latter’s No. 51 ranking.
Jeremiah Antolin was the only other double-digit scorer with 11 while Brian Orca had 13 rebounds to go with seven points. Gilas, however, struggled against Chinese Taipei’s pressure defense and committed a mind-boggling 36 turnovers.
It also didn’t help that the Filipinos shot a measly 3-of-13 clip from deep while Chinese Taipei, on the other hand, connected on 14 triples.
I-Le Wang had three of those triples to finish with 24 points while Cheng-Che Hsiao and Shu-Wei Lu amply supported him with 13 and 11, respectively.
Gilas tries to quickly pick up the pieces from the opening day loss when it immediately takes on Indonesia on Monday, Sept. 1.
The Nationals defeated the Indonesians, 70-40, to wrest the SEABA qualifiers title last May.
