Philippines continue to have upper hand over Kazakhstan at U16 level

DOHA (Qatar) - The Philippines shake off early struggles to deal Kazakhstan another loss, 66-42.

It was the fourth time the Philippines have played against Kazakhstan at the U16 Asian Championship, where they have won just as many times.

The Philippines shot only 11-41 from the field and 1-11 from beyond the three-point arc in the first half, making way for Kazakhstan to hold a 30-25 lead at the halftime break.

The second half was a different story for Batang Gilas as they came out of the locker room inspired and on fire. Not only did they find their shooting touch, they also held Kazakhstan to one field goal and three points in the entire third quarter.

The Philippines took control of the game from there and never looked back.

With the Philippines' victory, China confirm clinching the top spot in Group D and claim a direct ticket to the Quarter-Finals.

Standout Player: Kiefer Alas struggled to find his touch, but his relentlessness and composure in attacking the basket opened up the floor for his teammates. He ended up with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals in the win.

Turning Point: All five made three-pointers by the Philippines in the third quarter must have felt like haymakers to Kazakhstan. The Philippines went from not being able to hit anything from long-range to making every three they took - and making five of six attempts is pretty close to that.

Stats don't lie: Up until midway through the fourth quarter, Kazakhstan had missed 16 straight three-pointers in the game. It's tough to win a game on a cold-shooting night like that, even more so against a team like the Philippines. Alisher Muratuly eventually made X three-pointers to give Kazakhstan some hope, but it was too little, too late.

FIBA