The Gilas boys national under-16 basketball settled for fourth place on Sunday evening in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship 2023.
Boyuang Zhang finished with his highest single-game point total in this competition with 34 points, as China claimed third place with an 87-59 win over the Philippines at the Al-Gharafa Indoor Hall in Doha, Qatar.
China relied on its defense, as it took over with a 24-3 run, which lasted over seven minutes from the end of the first half to early in the third quarter.
The Philippines was only behind by three points in the second quarter off two three-point shots made by Iris Chua in the last 3:03.
But after Zhang sparked a 12-0 run with a triple, China never looked back with its 39-27 edge in the last 50 seconds of the first half.
Joaquin Ludovice led the way for the Philippines with 15 points.
Zhang knocked down 7 three-point shots to tie the record for most treys made in a single game with the fewest attempts of 9.
China scored 16 points off turnovers, although the Philippines managed only 12 turnovers in the game.
The last time the Philippines landed on the podium was back in 2013, when it finished second in Tehran, Iran.
Gilas earlier lost to China on opening day, 67-84.
Kiefer Alas contributed 13 points and five rebounds, while Chua fired 10 points.
Australia beat New Zealand, 79-76, in the finals to claim the crown, its third consecutive title.
Dash Daniels finished with a team-high 17 points to go with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks for Australia.
