Batang Gilas blown out by Greece

Entering this game versus Greece, supporters of the Batang Gilas were worried about their opponents’ height. Between 7’1” Girgios Papagiannis, 6’8” Thanasis Ntouzidis, and 6’8” Vasilis Charalampopoulos, the undersized Filipinos (average height 6’0”) were going to have their hands full dealing with the giants.

However, in this 85-65 loss, it was a pair of guards who did most of the damage. 6’5” Antonis Pefanis led all scorers with 26 markers, while shooting guard Antonis Koniaris gave him ample support with 14. The duo combined to go 10-of-17 from beyond the arc, overwhelming the Pinoys.

It wasn’t just firepower too. The Greeks held the Philippines to a combined 16 points in the second and third periods. Though the Batang Gilas rallied back with a 32-point fourth period, it merely lessened the gap between the two sides at the final buzzer.

The game though was not without its positives. Ateneo Blue Eaglet Jolo Mendoza continued to wax hot, scoring 19 points to lead his side. The Filipinos also managed to win the points in the paint battle, 26-24, but the inability to haul in defensive boards led to a 20-4 gap in second-chance points, ultimately doing them in.

Today is rest day, but the Philippines will be back in action on Monday, taking on two-time champions USA.

RELATED: Angola repels late Batang Gilas fightback in FIBA U17 Worlds opener

Photo from the FIBA Facebook page

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