By REYNALD MAGALLON
The Gilas Pilipinas girls team opened its Division A campaign on the wrong foot after getting drubbed by four-peat seeking Australia, 123-42 in the FIBA U16 Women’s at the Arena Seramban in Malaysia, Monday, Sept. 22.
The Sapphires simply proved too hot for the Filipinas to handle, immediately asserting their size advantage to erect a big lead in the opening frame, 33-12, and never looked back since then.
It also didn’t help that the Nationals also struggled heavily on the offensive end, only mustering 30 points in the last three quarters of the game.
Marianela Fakalata was the biggest thorn to the sides of the Filipinas, finishing with 19 points four assists and four steals while four other players also reached double figures.
Makena Ramos tried to carry the fight for Gilas with 16 points but it was not enough to help the Filipinas be competitive against the Aussies.
Ryanna Roman was the only other double-digit scorer for Gilas with 10.
