Gilas Youth clinch FIBA U17 World Cup spot, beat Japan

Gilas Pilipinas Youth secured their spot in the FIBA U17 World Cup by defeating Japan, 64-59, in the quarterfinals of the FIBA U16 Asian Championship on Saturday.

Kieffer Alas led Gilas with a game-high 29 points and nine rebounds, outscoring Japan single-handedly in the third quarter.

Gilas trailed by 10 points at halftime but rallied to win the third quarter 21-10, taking a 46-45 lead into the fourth.

Alas' timely assists helped seal the victory as Gilas held off a late surge from Japan to clinch their ticket to next year's U17 World Cup in Turkey.