MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Girls gave Hong Kong a 79-40 beating for a rousing Division B opener in the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship at the Prince Hamzah Stadium in Amman, Jordan on Monday, July 10.

Ava Fajardo starred on both ends with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists as the Filipinas kicked off their bid for a promotion to Division A in style.

The younger sister of Gilas Women mainstay Ella, Fajardo helped set the tone by scoring 5 points in the opening frame which saw her side build a 17-11 lead before Gilas Girls broke away in the middle periods.

A slim six-point lead grew fivefold going into the final salvo, 58-28, as the Filipinas held the Hong Kongers to single digits in each of the second and third quarters all the while erupting for 41 points over that stretch.

Ryan Kelly Nair finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in the rout, while Alyssia Rylee Palma put up 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Gilas Girls came away with a whopping 22 steals, which made up a huge chunk of the 34 turnovers Hong Kong coughed up.

Ariel Star de la O added 7 points and 12 rebounds for the Philippines.

Tsz Ching Kam produced 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals to pace Hong Kong, while Yan Ting Tai posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Bunched in Group A, Gilas Girls look to improve to 2-0 when they go up against Maldives on Tuesday, July 11.

Only the top two teams from each of the two groups will advance to the semifinals, with the tournament champion getting the much-coveted promotion to Division A. – Rappler.com

A Gilas Girls homecoming for two Mindanaoans