ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia - The Philippines routed Saudi Arabia, 95-52, in their first group match in the 22nd FIBA-Asia U18 Championship. Eleven of the twelve players fielded by Coach Olsen Racela scored at least 2 points. Cebuano Jerie Marlon Pingoy finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. The reigning UAAP Jrs. MVP hit 5 of his 7 shots and made his lone 3-point attempt. Fellow Cebuano Kris Porter finished with 4 points and 3 rebounds.
Coach Olsen Racela did not expect the easy victory but his boys were determined at the get-go as they led 23-12 after the first quarter. The Energen Pilipinas U-18 Youth Team continued their dominance in the middle quarters as they outscored the young Saudis 53-33 in 24 minutes. The Filipinos did not take it easy in the fourth even if they were leading by more than 30 points as they limited Saudi Arabia to only 7 points in the final 12 minutes of play for 43-point margin of victory.
UP’s Kyle Suarez led the scoring with 15 points. J-Jay Alejandro, Mark Bonleon, Pingoy and Ray Nambatac also reached double figures in scoring. Waheed Faqihi led Saudi Arabia with 19 points. The Philippines shot 51% from the field while limiting their opponents to a paltry 23% shooting. They also controlled the boards with a 42-32 rebound margin. They will next face Kazakhstan, a team that lost powerhouse Iran by 59 points.
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