MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas will face China with a quarterfinal berth at stake after the Philippines revived its title-defense hopes with a 109-78 victory over Kazakhstan in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Saturday.
The Philippines bounced back from a 69-65 loss to Bahrain in its opening game, with Robert Bolick scoring 13 of his 20 points in the first half as Gilas pulled away.
Bolick entered the game as a game-time decision after playing through a knee injury against Bahrain. Coach Tim Cone said Bolick suffered the injury during warmups.
The Gilas captain also looked to recover from two difficult games against South Korea in Suwon before the Asian Games and his limited impact against Bahrain.
China awaits the Philippines after defeating Bahrain, 105-59, earlier Saturday.
The Philippines will secure a quarterfinal berth with a victory over China. A loss could still leave Gilas with a chance to advance as the best third-placed team.
The Philippines and Iran currently hold 1-1 records in Group B, while Saudi Arabia sits at 0-2 in Group A.
Gilas cannot afford a heavy loss against China, which could improve its position in the race for the best third-placed berth. Bahrain will face Kazakhstan on Monday.
Jerrick Ahanmisi also provided a spark for Gilas, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers during a key stretch in the fourth quarter as the Philippines extended its lead. He added another triple before the final buzzer to finish with a game-high 22 points.
Assistant coach Richard del Rosario also took charge of the team during the Kazakhstan game while Cone focused on the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Del Rosario had previously worked with the Asian Games team while Cone handled the national team during the qualifiers.
