Gilas Girls scored a huge 65-50 victory over Thailand Monday in the FIBA U18 Women's Asian Championship Division B hostilities at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium in Bangalore, India.
From a slim 43-41 edge entering the fourth quarter, Gilas unleashed a telling 10-0 salvo that settled the issue once and for all.
Defense also did it for Gilas, who forced Thailand to 29 turnovers with 20 of them steals.
Kate Bobadilla fired 22 points in her debut wearing a Gilas jersey while Kristan Yumul added 10.
Laksamee Hwchaiyaphum led the Thais with 10.
Gilas head coach Pat Aquino was ecstatic over the latest conquest.
The win put Gilas on track in its quest to barge into Division A but the road to the promised land remains littered with landmines.
At press time, Gilas were slugging it out with a hefty and tall Samoan squad.
"With a lot of talent that we have, it's just a matter of how you play together so it was really good for us," Aquino said.
"We're always hoping to have the best performances here and try to get to Division A to compete against the best teams."
Only the champion squad will make the grade for Division A inclusion.
Gilas is grouped with Thailand, Samoa and Maldives with the top team advancing to the semifinals while the second and third placers will have to vie for the right to advance.
