Gilas Pilipinas Youth began their FIBA U16 Asian Championship SEABA Qualifiers 2023 with a resounding 94-52 victory over Malaysia Monday night in Surabaya, Indonesia. 

Kieffer Louie Alas led the attack with 27 points on an efficient 10-for-16 shooting clip, including a perfect 4-for-4 from downtown. He also finished with seven rebounds and four assists in under 18 minutes of action. Cletz David Amos and Irus Chua put up 16 points apiece and combined for 14 rebounds.

It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Philippines as it pushed its lead to as many as 46 points. The lopsided win included a 23-2 scoring advantage in the second period. 

Elijah Mark Williams chipped in with seven points and five boards while Edryn Morales and Kurt Nathan Velasquez contributed six points each. 

The top two teams at the end of the single round-robin tournament will head to the FIBA U16 Asian Championship in Qatar this September. 

The Philippines will face Thailand tomorrow (6:00 PM, Philippine time) and Indonesia on Wednesday (8:00 PM, Philippine time).