THE Philippines unleashed a balanced offensive arsenal, taking control from start to finish to hand Maldives a 122-point, 144-22 beating on Day 2 of Division B play in the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship 2023 Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in Manila) at the Prince Hamza Sport Hall.
Sophia Canindo led 10 of 12 players in double figures with her game-high 21 points as the Philippines closed in on the semifinals.
Her teammates Nevaeh Smith and Aubrey Lapasaran hit 16 points apiece.
Singapore and Hong Kong also picked up victories in their respective brackets, while the Gilas Women inched closer to the knockout crossover semis.
A 19-0 blast at the start of their game proved crucial as the Filipinas took control of the match.
Ryan Nair had 15 points, Ava Fajardo made 13 points and 9 rebounds and Isabella De Jesus, along with Shannon Sayson, also made 13 apiece.
Alyssia Palma provided 10 points for the Philippines.
So far, the Filipinas have recorded the most points made by any team in the two-division tournament.
Gilas moved ahead on 47 steals, forcing Maldives to 73 turnovers.
The Philippines now has a great chance to clinch the top spot of Group A against Jordan.