TEHRAN (FIBA Asia Challenge 2016) – India had enough poise to withstand a last ditch rally by the Philippines in the fourth quarter and come out on top, 91-83, at the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 in Tehran, Iran. India are now Group B’s leaders with a 1-win, 0-loss card.

Turning Point: The Philippines came out of the gates strong, outscoring India, 25-16, in the first quarter. Things, however, would soon change. India finally settle into the game and executed much better in the second period, which led to their outscoring Gilas Pilipinas, 31-21, to take the lead at the half. The Philippines could not fully recover in the second half.

Stats Don't Lie: The disparity in field goal shooting was just too much in this contest. India shot a respectable 46.3% from the field, while the Philippines were quite inefficient. The Filipinos had an inferior 33.7% field shooting rate as a team, with guys like Mike Tolomia and Kevin Ferrer standing out because of their combined 23 misses.

Game Hero: Amjyot Singh was a beast in this match. The 2.03m forward who can play both at the perimeter or inside the box put up 24 points, 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He played the entire forty minutes, emphasizing his status as one of the best individual players in the continent.

The Bottom Line: Filipino fans knew that Gilas Pilipinas would struggle, but, for sure, they were still hoping their team could beat India. The Indians, though, had other plans. They nearly upended Gilas in the 2014 FIBA Asia Challenge, 70-66, and they finally completed the feat here. India won’t have plenty of rest, however, as Chinese Taipei lie in wait on Day 2. Gilas now have to beat Chinese Taipei on Day 3 and maybe even one or two teams from Group A to try and make the Quarter-Finals.

FIBA