Gilas Pilipinas kept its Asian Games basketball title defense alive with a 31-point rout of Kazakhstan, 109-78, Saturday night, moving to 1-1 in Group C and boosting its quarterfinal chances with a much-needed shooting display.
Robert Bolick and Jerrick Ahanmisi combined for 42 points and 11 three-pointers as Gilas quickly erased the sting of its 89-85 opening loss to Bahrain.
Bolick, who struggled against Bahrain, led the charge with 20 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Ahanmisi added 22 points, going 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Gilas led 18-15 after the first quarter and stretched the advantage to 50-37 at halftime, with Bolick already accounting for 13 points.
Kazakhstan trimmed the gap early in the second half, but Gilas answered to take an 82-66 lead into the fourth quarter. Ahanmisi then caught fire, drilling five three-pointers in the final period as the Philippines pulled away.
The 31-point victory could prove important in the group standings. China had beaten Kazakhstan by 38 points, making point differential a potentially significant factor in determining the quarterfinalists.
The result was a sharp turnaround from Gilas’ opener, when Bahrain used a 15-5 third-quarter run to build a 64-48 lead before holding off the Philippines’ late comeback.
This time, Gilas controlled the game from the outset and never allowed Kazakhstan to mount a serious threat.
The Philippines now faces China on Monday in its final Group C game, with the defending champions needing another strong performance to strengthen their path to the quarterfinals.
The response from Gilas to the Bahrain setback was emphatic. The defense held, the three-pointers fell, and the point differential got a significant boost.
