Philippines U17 squad winless so far

MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas put up a better fight but still succumbed to world No. 16 Argentina, 83-67, in the classification rounds of the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup late Friday night at the Sinan Erdem Dome, in Istanbul, Turkey.

After bowing out with four straight blowout losses that included a 96-point defeat to the United States, the world No. 25 Gilas trailed early anew but showed resistance in the second half before running out of steam.

Later, the struggle continued for Gilas following an 85-66 loss against fellow Asian squad China for its sixth straight loss.

Gilas has been relegated to the battle for last place of the 16-team world youth championship against either Australia or Guinea.

The wards of coach Josh Reyes previously folded to world No. 7 Lithuania, 107-48, No. 2 Spain, 96-34, and No. 15 Puerto Rico, 98-53, in Group A.