Gilas men rout Malaysia; women demolish Singapore

GILAS PILIPINAS bucked a slow start to hammer Malaysia, 83-58, for a rousing debut in the 33^rd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) men’s basketball on Sunday at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.

Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. posted 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals as Gilas recovered from a six-point deficit in the first quarter en route to 1-0 slate in Group A.

Nine more players racked up the scoring board with team captain Robert Bolick and Thirdy Ravena scoring 17 and 13 points, respectively, for the Nationals, who will face Vietnam next in a bid to sweep the group play and book an outright ticket.

A win by Gilas against Vietnam on Monday would propel the squad straight to the semifinals with the second and third-ranked squads still needing to go through the qualification under the new SEAG basketball format.

“It’s a good win but we gotta work harder,” said coach Norman Black, still working on the chemistry of the hastily-formed unit with only a little practice together.

“We have to get better as the tournament goes on. It’s actually our first game as a group and when I say first game, it’s really a first game. We’re trying to give it a chance to grow but obviously, this is our first game together so will try to learn from this and grow and become a better team as the tournament goes on.”

Gilas, filled with last-minute replacements due to injuries, new rules and unavailability of some key players, found Malaysia a tough nut to crack with a 16-22 deficit in the opening frame only to flip the switch in the second period on a torrid 26-4 tear to take a comfortable 42-26 lead at the turn.

There was no looking back for the Nationals from there, on their way to a 25-point win.

Chun Hong Ting and Yi Hou Wong scored 21 and 13 points, respectively, for Malaysia, which wrapped up its campaign at 1-1 after a previous 89-63 win over Vietnam. Barring any upset from Vietnam against the mighty Philippines, Malaysia is likely to finish as the second seed to face the third-ranked team from Group B in the qualification to the semifinals.

In women’s basketball, two-time UAAP MVP Kacey Dela Rosa ran roughshod with 22 points, six rebounds and two steals as the unbeaten Gilas booked an automatic semis slot with a 92-59 whipping of Singapore.

New players Sarah Judith Heyn (14) and Sophia Yve Dignadice (12) threw in help while seasoned aces Afril Bernardino, the team captain, and Janine Pontejos added 10 points each for the wards of coach Pat Aquino, who swept Group B after a 76-67 debut win over Malaysia. — John Bryan Ulanday

The scores:

Men’s

Gilas Pilipinas 83 – Parks 18, Bolick 17, Ravena 13, Panopio 7, Erram 7, Malonzo 7, Wright 5, Chua 4, Pessumal 3, Tratter 2, Manzano 0, Pre 0

Malaysia 58 – Ting 21, Wong Y. 13, Chin 9, Lee S. 7, Mahadevan 3, Heng 3, Lee J. 2, Wong J. 0, De 0, Chang 0

Quarterscores: 16-22, 42-26, 62-51, 83-58

Women’s

Gilas Pilipinas 92 – Dela Rosa 22, Heyn 14, Dignadice 12, Bernardino 10, Pontejos 10, Castillo 9, Ozar 8, Del Carmen 5, Guytingco 2

Singapore 59 – See 12, Loiter 9, Lim Y. 8, Lim J. 8, Lim Z. 7, Tan 6, Wong 4, Chan 3, Wan 2, Yeow 0, Low 0, Nar 0

Quarterscores: 25-18, 41-28, 66-46, 92-59