Gilas Pilipinas Boys fell short of a podium finish in the 2023 U16 Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar.
The Philippines suffered another loss at the hands of China that won the third place match, 87-59, on Sunday, September 24.
Joaquin Ludovice scored 15 points and Kiefer Alas added 13 points for the Philippines that finished the tournament with four wins out of seven games.
The Filipinos trailed, 14-4, early in the first quarter but they managed to catch-up and cut down the deficit to three, 20-17, at the end of the period.
However, a three-point basket by Boyuan Zhang ignited a 14 point-run by China that widened the gap, 44-27, going into halftime.
The woes of the Philippines continued in the third frame after only making eight points, which allowed China to start the final period with a 33-point advantage, 70-37.
Boyuan finished with 34 points while Sinan Huan registered 14 points and 11 rebound to lead China that went up by 38 points at most.
While the squad failed to snag the bronze medal, the semifinals appearance of Filipinos in the tournament secured their spot in the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey.
