Gilas Pilipinas Boys survived a furious Chinese Taipei comeback to escape with an 89-88 victory in their opening game of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup on Thursday at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
The Filipinos came out firing, racing to a 31-12 lead after the opening quarter and carrying a 53-29 advantage into halftime.
Gilas then stretched its lead to as many as 27 points early in the third quarter before Chinese Taipei started clawing its way back. The Taiwanese side outscored the Philippines, 30-21, in the third period to cut the deficit to 15 heading into the final frame.
The comeback continued in the fourth quarter, with Chinese Taipei trimming the gap to just one point, 86-87, with 1:35 remaining.
Chinese Taipei eventually grabbed an 88-87 lead with just 6.6 seconds left after Carter Coleman converted on a layup.
But Ethan Aguas came through when it mattered most, knocking down a game-winning shot with 2.6 seconds remaining to put Gilas back in front and seal the thrilling victory.
JB Cagurungan led the Philippines with 21 points, including seven three-pointers, while Aguas finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The win gives Gilas a 1-0 start in Group A, but the young Filipinos will have little time to celebrate as they return to action against defending champions Australia in their next assignment.
(Photo Courtesy: FIBA)
