By CARLO ANOLIN
Mason Amos flexed his might anew, exploding for 28 points to help lift Gilas U18 to an 84-73 win over Chinese Taipei and stay undefeated in three games in the FIBA U18 Asian Championships Tuesday, Aug. 23 at the Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran, Iran.
As in their game against Qatar, the Filipino dribblers needed a decisive run in the payoff period to pull away for good – thanks largely to Amos, who joined hands with Jared Bahay in sparking that onslaught.
Already up by eight points in the fourth quarter, 76-68, Amos drained a three-pointer to retake momentum and lead by as many as 11 points with 2:10 left.
Amos, who also grabbed 10 rebounds, practically put the game beyond reach with another jumper for an 81-71 advantage with 1:31 left.
The win enabled Gilas to sweep Group C, a feat that will likely boost their morale going into the crucial phase of the tournament.
Amos shot 12-of-20 from the field, including four-three pointers while James Phillip Nacua also waxed hot from beyond the arc, hitting 4-of-5 to finish with16 points.
Chinese Taipei, for its part, wound up with a 2-1 record.
Chun Sheng Chang paced Chinese Taipei with 24 points and six rebounds.
