Gilas girls whoop Indonesia to sweep SEABA Under-18 Qualifiers

MANILA, Philippines -- FIBA Asia-bound Gilas Pilipinas girls walloped Indonesia, 73-37, to complete a sweep of the SEABA Under-18 Qualifiers Sunday at the Ratchaburi Gym in Thailand.

Alicia Villanueva fired 13 points while 10 more players scored in Gilas’ scattered onslaught for their third straight blowout win to wipe out their regional rivals en route to a ticket in the Asian tilt.

Tiffany Reyes added nine, Gabby Ramos and Maria Christian Lapasaran had eight each, while skipper Ava Fajardo, Ashlyn Abong and Margarette Duenas contributed seven points apiece for the wards of coach Julie Amos.

Gilas booked its spot in the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Championship Division B in China next month as early as the first game when it clobbered host Thailand, 103-58, before whipping Malaysia, 100-68, in the virtual knockout duel.

The Nationals didn’t let up against the Indonesians despite a slow 14-11 start, launching a 39-15 barrage in the next two quarters to pull away. In the third quarter alone, Gilas made Indonesia bleed for just four points. No player saw action for more than 23 minutes for Gilas in the easy win.

Ratu Sabrina Poedjakesuma with 10 points was the only twin-digit scorer for Indonesia, which still qualified in the FIBA Asia along with Malaysia as previous Division B winners.

Gilas U16 trounced its SEA counterparts by a whopping average of 37.6 points in three games to sport a chance of replicating the feat of its national counterparts in other divisions.

The younger Filipina ballers then ruled the FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Championship Division B in Jordan with a 5-0 sweep highlighted by a finale win over Iran to qualify in the elite Division A featuring Asia's finest squads.

Gilas boys, for their part, had a semifinal finish in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar to punch a ticket in the prestigious FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey in July.