Ahanmisi, Bolick star as Gilas Pilipinas dumps Kazakhstan for first 2026 Asian Games win

Jerrick Ahanmisi and Robert Bolick took turns to steer Gilas Pilipinas to a 109-78 victory against Kazakhstan for their maiden win at the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday at the Aichi International Arena.

Bolick poured in 13 points during a 20-2 run to open the second quarter, before Ahanmisi took over with five triples in the fourth quarter to close out the game, as both players bounced back from scoreless outings in the previous game.

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The win lifted Gilas to 1-1 following an opening day loss to Bahrain while Kazakhstan dropped to 0-2 in Group C.

Bolick made up for his 0-of-5 outing and finished with 20 points and two assists while Ahanmisi posted 22 markers on an impressive 7-of-11 shooting from the three-point area to recover from his 0-of-1 performance in the previous loss.

Gilas Pilipinas dominated Kazakhstan from start to finish.

Calvin Oftana, who erupted for 31 points against Bahrain, powered an 11-0 start in the first quarter while a Brandon Ganuelas-Rosster split stretched it to an 18-5 lead.

But Kazakhstan responded with a 10-0 run to trail by just three at the end of the frame, 18-15.

Then Bolick pressed the takeover button in the second.

The NLEX star converted three triples and dropped 13 points in that frame alone in a stretch to allow Gilas Pilipinas in taking a 38-17 cushion while the rest of the bench preserved a 50-37 advantage at the half.

Kazakhstan staged multiple comeback attempts, including an 8-0 blast that pulled it within single digits at 67-58 late in the third.

But Gilas once again had the answer, taking an 82-66 lead into the fourth quarter. Kazakhstan continued to keep the game close early in the payoff period, but Ahanmisi caught fire from downtown, torching the opposition with five three-pointers while Oftana and Don Trollano added one triple apiece to seal the deal.

Oftana finished with 12 points this time while Zav Lucero flirted with a double-double of 10 points and nine rebounds. Sedrick Barefield chipped in 11 markers, four boards, and five assists.

Gilas will look to pull off another big win on Monday against China, who is still unbeaten with a spotless 2-0 card.

The scores:

Philippines 109 - Ahanmisi 22, Bolick 20, Oftana 12, Barefield 11, Lucero 10, Abarrientos 6, Arana 6, Baltazar 6, Trollano 5, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Nocum 4, Bates 3.

Kazakhstan 78 - Bykov 15, Marat 12, Maydekin 12, Neff 11, Rabchenyuk 9, Murzagaliyev 8, Fedchenko 7, Ivanov 2, Sakhipov 2, Kuanov 0, Marchuk 0, Severgin 0.

Quarters: 18-15, 50-37, 82-66, 109-78.

—JMB, GMA News