MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Youth ended its FIBA U16 Asian Championship campaign on a winning note after a come-from-behind 95-87 victory over Iran in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, June 19.

Five players scored in double figures as the Philippines fought back from a 13-point deficit to snap a two-game skid and finish seventh in the 13-team tournament.

Alex Konov shot the lights out off the bench by netting a team-high 18 points on a 4-of-9 clip from three-point land for the Filipinos, who also drew prolific performances from Caelum Harris, Jared Bahay, and Andy Gemao.

Iran held a 50-39 lead early in the third quarter before Konov caught fire, knocking down a pair of triples and scoring 8 points in an 11-2 spurt that cut their deficit to 50-52.

A 9-2 blitz propped up the Iran lead to 9 points, but the Philippines answered with a blazing 16-2 run – with Gemao dropping all of his 7 points during the stretch – to seize a 68-63 lead going into the final frame.

Harris finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, while Bahay capped an impressive tournament run with all-around numbers of 13 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Renzo Competente also shone in the victory with 14 points, including the trey that gave Gilas Youth its biggest lead of the game at 84-70 with under six minutes left.

Zain Mahmood tallied 11 points and 5 rebounds for the Philippines, Jacob Bayla had 9 points, and Kris Porter added 7 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Three players dropped at least 20 points for the Iranians, but their third-quarter collapse proved costly as they wrapped up the tournament with three straight losses.

Mohammadamin Khosravi paced Iran with 28 points and 7 rebounds.

The Scores

Philippines 95 – Konov 18, Harris 15, Competente 14, Bahay 13, Mahmood 11, Bayla 9, Porter 7, Gemao 7, Jones 1, Reyes 0, Romero 0, Nieto 0. 

Iran 87 – Khosravi 28, Jafari 23, Amini 20, Beygi 6, Gilkalayeh 6, Kazemizadeh 0, Heydari 0, Zahan 0, Parand 0. 

Quarters: 20-18, 39-48, 68-63, 95-87.

– Rappler.com