Mason Amos and Jared Bahay formed a formidable tandem as Gilas U18 routed Qatar, 77-61, to secure their second win in the FIBA U18 Asian Championships at the Azadi Basketball Hall in Tehran, Iran Monday, Aug. 22.
Gilas used a strong fourth quarter to pull away for good after engaging in a tight contest as Amos and Bahay took charge early in the first half to set the tone for the young Filipino dribblers.
Amos led all scorers with 21 points on a 7-of-11 shooting, including two three-pointers and hauled seven rebounds while Bahay chipped in 15 points, making 9-of-11 from the free throw line, to go with three assists and three rebounds.
Gilas only led by as many as six points, 54-48, at the start of the payoff period before stepping on the gas to create a much-needed distance heading midway through the last frame.
A 12-1 run, capped by a James Phillip Nacua basket off a Bahay assist, enabled the Filipino cagers to separate themselves, 66-49, as Qatar tried to regroup and put a stop to Gilas' offense.
Time, however, had run out as Qatar couldn't sustain momentum despite countering every point the Philippines converted.
Moustapha Ndao and Mohamed Hashim Z Abbasher paced Qatar with 14 points apiece as the latter also grabbed 10 rebounds and four assists.
With the win, Gilas earned four points with a perfect 2-0 record over in Group C.
The Nationals will next face group co-leader Chinese Taipei, which earlier defeated Syria, 81-60, Tuesday, Aug. 23.