Gilas Youth finally nails win, beats China in classification phase

Gilas Pilipinas Youth finally picked up a victory in the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup after beating China, 86-72, on Saturday in Heraklion, Greece.

The Gilas Youth squad put themselves in contention for the 13th spot with the victory over China. They will face either New Zealand or Senegal to determine their next opponent for the battle for 13th.

Gilas Pilipinas Youth bounced back from their 82-60 loss to Australia on Friday to be relegated to the playoff for the 13th to 16th places.

Dave Ildefonso had 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Carl Tamayo had 20 points to lead the attack of Gilas Pilipinas Youth in winning their first game of the tournament.

Kai Sotto only played 12 minutes after fouling out and finished with 5 points but other players stepped up for Gilas Youth with James Spencer and Rhayyan Amsali adding 11 points each for Gilas Youth.

PHOTO: FIBA