MANILA -- Serbia clinched a quarterfinal spot in the FIBA U19 World Cup after downing Gilas Pilipinas Youth, 87-60, in the first round of the playoffs at the Dyo Aorakia Arena in Heraklion, Greece early Thursday (Philippine Time).
Serbia pulled away for good late in the first quarter, ending the period with a 9-2 run before slowly pulling away in the next three frames.
Marko Pecarski made 21 points, six rebounds, one assist, and one steal for Serbia, which will next face Lithuania, 91-74 winner over Australia in another playoff battle, in the Elite 8 round on Friday.
Filip Petrusev added 17 points, eight rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block, while Dalibor Ilic chipped in a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds with six assists and one block.
Dave Ildefonso put up 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks for Gilas Youth, which was relegated to a classification round for ninth place, starting with a game against Australia also on Friday. (PNA)
