By CARLO ANOLIN
Gilas Pilipinas U16 girls team vented its ire on Lebanon and came out a 90-68 winner to finish third in the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship at the Prince Hamza Arena in Amman, Jordan Thursday, June 30.
The smashing win came following a heartbreaking loss against Samoa in the semifinal.
The Filipina cagers used a strong third quarter surge and easily converted their seven-point half time lead to a 19-point advantage heading into the payoff period, 67-48.
It was all Gilas show from thereon as Kristan Yumul and Gabriella Ramos, who both had 20 points, joined forces to give the Philippines a proper bounce back victory.
The lead even ballooned to 32 points capped by Naomi Panganiban’s jumper, 81-49, as Gilas pulled away for good with 6:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Yumul added six assists while Ramos chalked up five rebounds and three steals as well while Panganiban posted 16 points on top of nine rebounds and three assists.
Angelina Bado paced Lebanon with 19 points and five rebounds while Eliza Khoury had 11 points and six rebounds.
Gilas failed to earn its promotion to Division A following an 88-73 shock loss against Samoa Wednesday, June 29.
Still, the Filipina dribblers showed a promising performance after a swift 3-0 run in the group phase before the semifinal upset.
