June Mar Fajardo (Front R) of the Philippines competes with Mohamed Abbassi (Front L) of Tunisia during the group N match between Tunisia and the Philippines at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 6, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)
BEIJING, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia eased past the Philippines in the the classification round of the FIBA World Cup here on Friday with a comfortable 86-67 victory.
Tunisia, who had five players score in double figures, led from start to finish against the Philippines, which was led by the former NBA Brooklyn Nets forward Andray Blatche.
"We are lack of experience, specially in the tournament like World Cup, that's why we can't win a game," said the Philippine head coach Guiao Joseller.
Omar Abada poured in 16 points and Michael Roll added 13 points for Tunisia. Blatche had a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Tunisia ran away from the Philippines with a dominant first quarter to enter the second ahead 27-10. The Philippines showed little resistance as Tunisia led by as many as 22 points in the second and led 46-24 at halftime.
The African powerhouses never seemed to be contested by the Philippines in the second half. After Radhouane Slimane's buzzer-beating 3-pointer, Tunisia's lead was extended to 28 points after three quarters.
Blatche scored 14 points to cut the deficit to 19 points in the fourth quarter, giving the Philippines a small consolation.
"We know our fans are disappointed now, but I hope they can understand that we've tried hard to fight for the victory," Joseller said.
