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Thrilla in Manila! Philippines U21 outlasts Portugal U21 in a highly-contested low-scoring game (78243)

Manila, Philippines -- The Filipino fans in the arena were treated to a defensive masterclass between two teams with unblemished records. After the first two quarters, the two teams were only separated by 4 points, 31-27, with Portugal U21 getting the slight upper hand. Both teams showed their gritty defenses, limiting each other to just below 27% field goal shooting.

The second half was the same story with the two teams exchanging leads and pouring all their efforts on the defensive side. Philippines U21 entered the last 2 minute mark with a decent lead, only for Portugal U21 to roar back and tie the game in the final seconds via a three-pointer from Eduardo Saramago. In the final possession for Philippines U21, Lamberto Juliano drove to the hoop for a layup, missed it, but the referees called a foul against Portugal U21. Juliano calmly made the two free throws, showing his nerves of steel and ultimately claiming the W for the home team, 69-67. Philippines U21 now sports a 6-0 win-loss record, which increases their chance to claim the top spots coming into the knockout rounds.

The ever-reliable Ken Provido was Philippines U21's leading scorer with 22 points. Lamberto Juliano powered the Filipinos with a double-double, 16 points and 12 rebounds. He also shot 8 of 8 free throws, including the final two free throws that sealed the deal for Philippines U21. Nicasio Luiz, despite the foul trouble, was Philippines U21's chairman of the boards with 14 rebounds, on top of his 2 blocks and 1 steal.

Portugal U21 didn't win the game, but they gave Phiippines U21 a huge scare. Silvio Castro led the Portuguese in scoring with 17 points, while Eduardo Saramago followed up with 13 points, including a made three-pointer which could have forced an overtime. Filipe Fernandes, who was very busy gobbling all the boards he can get while anchoring Portugal U21's 3-2 zone, ended up with 19 rebounds. It also didn't help that starting PG, Fernando Caxias, got injured in the waning seconds of the first half. He ended up with 7 points, on 2 of 16 field goal shooting.

Philippines U21, once again, will put their perfect record on the line. But this time, it's a road game against a very strong Uruguay U21 team. The game will be held on 18th of February, 6:00AM (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 22 points
Lamberto Juliano - 16 points
Gabino Cabello - 9 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Nicasio Luiz - 14 rebounds
Lamberto Juliano - 12 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 8 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 6 assists
Ken Provido - 2 assists
Gabino Cabello - 2 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 extends unbeaten streak, edges Uruguay U21 on the road (78272)

Montevideo, Uruguay -- With odds against the Filipino squad, and without the waves of Filipinos in the stands, Philippines U21 still managed to get away with another low-scoring win over the home team, Uruguay U21, 66-60. Philippines U21's impregnable defense limited Uruguay U21 to its lowest output in this tournament. Previous lowest output was 78 points in another home loss against Andorra U21 a month ago.

Philippines U21 started flat-footed, allowing Uruguay U21 to surge past them by 8 points, 7-15, which was the biggest lead by any team in this game. The Filipinos shook off the jitters and gave Uruguay U21 a run for their money, exchanging leads until the final minutes of the game.

It didn't help that Philippines U21's leading scorer, Ken Provido, got injured in the second quarter, after 14 minutes of gameplay. As a result, Uruguay U21's Gerardo Camiña was assessed a flagrant foul for clipping Provido on his layup attempt. Provido left the game with 13 points, 9 of which are from the 3-point area.

With Provido unable to return to the game, Gabino Cabello stepped up big time for the Filipinos, as he led the team with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He was also instrumental in turning the game around in the final minutes, scoring 6 of the final 8 points of Philippines U21. Osbaldo Peñano pinpoint passing was on display in this game, finishing the game with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Filipinos were heavily outrebounded by Uruguay U21, 43-72. It was also the first time the Filipinos got outrebounded in this tournament. After the game, Coach Leo emphasized the importance of rebounding to his wards. "We could have blown the game wide open if we exerted more effort in boxing out.", Coach Leo exclaimed. "But, I'm still thankful for the guys for defending like their life depends on it."

On the other side, José Vidal was the lone bright spot for the Charrúas, pouring in 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Together with Camiña and Francisco Castillo, the trio grabbed a total of 47 rebounds, which still outrebounds the whole Philippines U21 team. It could have been a different story if another Uruguayan stepped up in terms of scoring.

For the final seeding game, Ísland (Iceland) U21 will visit Philippines U21 on its homefloor. The game will be held on 24th of February, 6:30 PM (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Gabino Cabello - 23 points
Ken Provido - 13 points
Osbaldo Peñano - 10 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Robinson Genetia - 9 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 8 rebounds
Gabino Cabello - 6 rebounds
Osbaldo Peñano - 6 rebounds
Glenn Peter Dais - 6 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Osbaldo Peñano - 6 assists
Gabino Cabello - 5 assists
Jeff Castro - 3 assists
Robinson Genetia - 3 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Last edited by Leo (Pilipinas U21) at 2/24/2025 8:18:17 AM

Philippines U21 melts Iceland U21's upset ambition, wins 8th in a row (78339)

Manila, Philippines -- With Gilas (the real one) losing twice a few days ago in the ongoing FIBA Asia tournament, the Philippines U21 team gave the Pinoys some reason to celebrate by demolishing Iceland U21, 102-62. This is Philippines U21's 8th win in as many games, which assures them of homecourt advantage in the first knockout round.

It was just another day in the office for Ken Provido, as he led the team in scoring, once again, with 19 points. Gabino Cabello added 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals, while Bartholomew Lipa performed well off the bench with 13 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

Lamberto Juliano got another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He also showcased his improved playmaking abilities by recording 6 dimes in this game. Meanwhile, Jan-Jan Revillame was in a scoring mood in the first half, scoring all of his 10 points in this period, but went gun-shy in the second half, probably realizing that he should be the one distributing the ball. He also added 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

For the visiting Iceland U21 team, Márus Auðunsson had 18 points and 8 rebounds to pace the Icelanders, while Oddur Dýrason had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double to somehow steer their team to victory. Iceland U21 finishes their consolation campaign with an unimpressive 1-7 record.

Philippines U21 now awaits the results of the other consolation games to determine their final ranking, and who their next opponent will be. Rankings and schedules will be released as early as tomorrow (25th of February) noon, Manila time. Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 19 points
Gabino Cabello - 14 points
Bartholomew Lipa - 13 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 13 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 13 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 9 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 6 assists
Gabino Cabello - 5 assists
Jan-Jan Revillame - 5 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 marches to the second round, demolishes the visiting Dominican Republic U21 (78606)

Manila, Philippines -- Philippines U21 made quick work of the visiting Dominican Republic U21 team, blitzing to a 20-point first quarter differential, en route to a lopsided victory, 133-72. Just like in their previous games, defense is the name of the game for the Filipinos, limiting the visitors to only 72 points on 32.2% field goal shooting.

Ken Provido, once again, proved that he's the real deal, torching opposing defense with 31 points on 14 of 22 field goal shooting, while Lamberto Juliano had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

With Philippines U21 having a commanding lead, they had the luxury of fielding their second stringers. Gilberto Isidro Illundain took advantage of the extra court time as he led the bench mob in scoring with 21 points, on top of 6 rebounds. Another player who took advantage is Benedict John Rizal, who was very aggressive in forcing defenders to foul him. He scored 13 points off the bench, 6 of them were from the charity stripe.

Robinson Genetia channeled his inner Dennis Rodman by grabbing 19 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action... and just 4 points. He also added 4 assists to his name. Speaking of assists, Jan-Jan Revillame managed to lead the team in assists with his 8 dimes, off the bench, followed by starter, Gabino Cabello, with his 7 assists.

Enrique Corte led the way for Dominican Republic U21 with 24 points and 7 rebounds, while Victor Mesa and Juan Mato scored 16 and 10 points, respectively. Marcial Tejerías, who is their third best scorer, was only limited to just 7 points, but he had 7 assists to steer the ship for the Dominicans.

Philippines U21 will now await the result of the clash between two European teams, 20th-seeded Slovensko U21 team and 13th-seeded Andorra U21 team. The winner of this game will take on the young Pinoy cagers on their home turf on March 10, 6:30pm (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 31 points
Lamberto Juliano - 23 points
Gilberto Isidro Illundain - 21 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Robinson Genetia - 19 rebounds
Nicasio Luiz - 10 rebounds
Ken Provido - 8 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 8 assists
Gabino Cabello - 7 assists
Bartholomew Lipa - 5 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 outlasts resilient Andorra U21, books Final 8 spot (78666)

Manila, Philippines -- It was a battle between two teams with defensive acumen, similar to the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons in 2004-2005. Both teams kept the scores low, turtling on their 3-2 zone defenses. Philippines U21 even limited Andorra U21 to just 26 points in the first half, but Andorra U21 kept it very close thanks to the shotblocking abilities of Israel Marcos and Marc Manonell, who swatted a total of 10 shots, compared to Philippines U21's total of 6 blocks. In the end, Philippines U21 prevailed over Andorra U21, 74-65. Philippines U21 wins its 10th game in the tournament, and clinches a spot in the quarter finals of the ongoing Consolation tournament.

Ken Provido went on his usual scoring ways, tallying 18 points, 7 rebounds 2 assists and 2 steals. Robinson Genetia also scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to complete his second double-double in this tournament. His first double-double was an 11-point, 11-rebounds output vs Albania U21. It was a difficult night for the Filipinos in terms of scoring, as no other Filipinos scored in double digits besides Provido and Genetia.

Gabino Cabello only scored 7 points off the bench. Lamberto Juliano started this game at power forward, but his shots weren't falling in, He only made 1 out of his 10 shots for 5 points, but he collected 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks to somehow help his team in other ways. His backup, David McKee, despite being the newcomer on the team, managed to muscle his way through the tight zone, scoring 6 points off the bench, same with Ruben Lumanta, another newcomer on the team.

Ricard Vendrell led the way for Andorrans with 23 points, while Joan Carles Lebrero scored 16 points and added 6 rebounds. Similar to Philippines U21, Andorra U21 also had problems dealing with their opponent's zone, thus only 4 other players scored for Andorra U21.

Philippines U21 will now be waiting for the winner of the game between England U21 and Israel U21. The game will be scheduled on March 17, 5:30 PM (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 18 points
Robinson Genetia - 18 points
Gabino Cabello - 7 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Robinson Genetia - 15 rebounds
Lamberto Juliano - 11 rebounds
Nicasio Luiz - 10 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Osbaldo Peñano - 6 assists
Lamberto Juliano - 5 assists
Jan-Jan Revillame - 4 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Thank you very much coach! We're doing our best to go as far as possible in this tournament. ;)

No Provido, No Problem: Philippines U21 still pulls off masterful win over Israel U21, clinches Final 4 spot (78727)

Manila, Philippines -- Philippines U21's ace, Ken Provido, went from being the hero, the savior of the country, the tournament sensation... to a zero, at least in this game. He was not allowed to play due to some undisclosed reasons. Provido's camp didn't give any clues about his status, but they insist that he might be able to suit up for their next game, if there is. And, we might indeed see him don the Pilipinas U21 jersey again as Philippines U21 took down Israel U21, 77-64. Philippines U21 moves on to the Final 4 where they await the winner of the match-up between Estonia U21 and Chile U21.

Without Provido, Philippines U21 heavily relied on Lamberto Juliano and Gabino Cabello. Both Juliano and Cabello rode a fiery start, as they paced the team towards an 11-point lead after the first half. Their aggressiveness also resulted to foul troubles on Israel U21's starting bigs. Juliano ended up with a huge double-double, 23 points and 17 rebounds. He also added 3 assists and 2 blocks and was perfect from the charity stripe. Cabello goes for 22 points on 9 of 17 field goal shooting.

Robinson Genetia continues to hold the fort for Philippines U21. He grabbed 12 boards and swatted 3 shots. He was also instrumental for holding down Israel U21's monster big, Rotem Kalderon. Jan-Jan Revillame returned as Philippines U21's starting point guard, and he continues to impress the crowd with his stellar playmaking and passing as he collected 8 assists to lead the team. Newcomer, Ricardo Diaz-Castillo, was a surprise starter for the Filipinos. He didn't do much based on the stats, but according to Coach Leo, he earned a spot on the team due to his energy, hustle, and defense.

Liam Katzburg, Yechezkel Gelberg and Itzchak Arbel carried the scoring load for the Israelis. They each scored, 18, 12 and 12 points, respectively. Israel U21's bigs were wreacking havoc on the Philippines' offense due to their shotblocking skills, but foul troubles kept them from aggresively blocking every shots that came their way.

The next game's schedule depends on the winner of the Estonia U21 and Chile U21 match-up, but the date will most likely be on March 24 or March 25. If Estonia U21 wins, the game will be held in Estonia. If Chile U21 wins, Philippines U21 will once again enjoy another homecourt advantage. Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 23 points
Gabino Cabello - 22 points
Robinson Genetia - 8 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 17 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 12 rebounds
Ricardo Diaz-Castillo - 6 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 8 assists
Lamberto Juliano - 3 assists
Robinson Genetia - 2 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Incredible game and management, I see you built a super strong all around team, altough enthusiasm was the deciding factor in this game, it's still an amazing achievement.

Will be a super exciting semi-finals for all teams involved, I wish you luck!

PT NT

Thank you very much!

And good luck in your game vs Slovenia U21.

Estonia U21's second half surge ends Philippines U21's tournament run (78788)

Tallinn, Estonia -- Estonia U21 proved that their #1 tournament ranking was not a fluke. They ended up winning a highly-contested game versus Philippines U21, 82-72. Philippines U21 used defense to win games, but this time it was Estonia's defense that sealed the deal, as Philippines U21 was limited to only 29.3% field goal percentage, while Estonia had 34.9%. It was a very close game in the first half, but then Estonia U21 surges ahead and eventually claiming a Finals spot. They'll be up against Portugal U21, the 15th ranked team.

Endel Karu and Gennadi Kaar were the driving forces behind Estonia U21's win, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively. Both players also shot effectively, each with 8 of 17 field goal shooting. The imposing paint presence of both Nazar Kozlov and Edvard Brosman was enough to disrupt Philippines U21's inside incursions. Kozlov posted a 12 points and 13 rebounds double-double, while Brosman snagged 14 rebounds and swatted 2 shots. Ülo Paabo dished out 7 assists to orchestrate Estonia U21's offense.

On the other side, Glenn Peter Dais and Ruperto Penuela carried the fight for Philippines U21. Both players led the team in scoring with 13 points each. Penuela was also tasked to defend against Estonia's monster bigman, Kozlov. Regardless, he still collected 13 rebounds of his own. With most of the scoring options shut down, Jan-Jan Revillame had to step up in terms of scoring, but to no avail as he only made 2 of 14 field goal attempts. He still finished the game with 11 points and 6 assists.

This is Philippines U21's last game for this season, but it was a great run, regardless. See you next time and good luck to us in the upcoming tournaments!

Points Leaders:
Glenn Peter Dais - 13 points
Ruperto Penuela - 13 points
Jan-Jan Revillame - 11 points
Benedict John Rizal - 11 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Ruperto Penuela - 13 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 11 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 8 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 6 assists
Glenn Peter Dais - 2 assists
Gabino Cabello - 2 assists
Lamberto Juliano - 2 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo