Gilas boys no match for Aussies, end up winless in FIBA U17 World Cup

MANILA, Philippines -- The Gilas Pilipinas boys ended the FIBA U17 World Cup as the worst squad in the 16-team tournament after getting drubbed by Australia, 115-53, in another blowout loss Sunday afternoon (Manila time) at the Ahmet Comert Sports Hall in Turkiye.

It was a winless run for the Philippine youth team, as they lost by huge margins against Lithuania, Spain, Puerto Rico, the United States, Argentina and China before Sunday’s game.

Against Australia, the same thing happened as they were completely blown out.

Dash Daniels paced Australia with 28 points, four rebounds, four assists while stealing the ball six times.

Nash Walker added 18 markers for the Australians, who made 48 of their 81 field goals, good for 59.3%.

Gilas actually drew first blood in the match, with an Edryn Morales layup to go up 2-0.

The World No. 4 nation, though, flexed its muscle and ran away in the first quarter, taking a 31-13 lead before a Kurt Velasquez triple made it 16-31 heading into the second frame.

Australia just found a higher gear after a higher gear the rest of the way, as the squad steadily kept its foot on the Philippines’ throat.

The lead grew to as much as 62 points, 109-47, with 3:36 remaining in the game.

Joel Robinson and Alexander Rickeson had 11 apiece for the Asia Cup champions, who made 16 3-pointers.

Morales finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for Gilas. Wacky Ludovice added 10 markers, but committed seven turnovers.

The Philippines ended the tournament with an average losing margin of 51.3 points per game.