Arturas Butajevas was almost unstoppable for Lithuania. FIBA

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA–Lithuania gave Gilas Pilipinas an early painful blow on Day 1 of the FIBA U17 World Cup as the European club prevailed, 107-48, on Saturday at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul.

Gilas dearly felt the absence of ace player Kieffer Alas as they lost steam in the second half after keeping in step with Lithuania for most of the first half.

Gilas somehow kept themselves within striking distance in the first half as they were just staring at a nine-point deficit, 34-25, midway through the second quarter.

However, Lithuania launched a 12-0 run later in the second quarter to open a 46-25 cushion before Gilas scored four straight points to end the quarter and cut the lead down to 17 at halftime.

After the intermission, though, Lithuania was virtually unstoppable, outscoring Gilas, 61-19, in the final 20 minutes to blow the game wide open.

Arturas Butajevas led Lithuania with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal.

Kajus Mikalauskas added 15 points on 5-for-7 field goals including a perfect 3-for-3 inside the arc, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Cletz Amos put up a team-high 10 points alongside three rebounds, one steal, and one block for Gilas.

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