BANGKOK (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN): Gilas Pilipinas bucked a jittery start to beat Malaysia, 83-58, in the opener of its bid to defend the gold in men’s basketball of the 33rd South-East Asian (SEA ) Games on Sunday (Dec 14).
The trio of Ray Parks Jr., Robert Bolick, and Thirdy Ravena led the charge as the Philippines shook off a first-quarter deficit and some anxious moments in the third to pull away for the lopsided victory.
"We have to get better as the tournament goes on,” said Gilas coach Norman Black. “This is actually our first game as a group. So when I say first game, I mean really the first game.”
Gilas can go for an outright spot to the semifinals as the top team of Group A with a win on Monday against Vietnam.
The second and third placers in each group will play a crossover qualification for the two other semi-final berths.
Group B is composed of host Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Myanmar.
Black’s wards authored the victory before a big crowd of Filipinos, who took advantage of the weekend to witness both the men’s and women’s teams.
Gilas Women earlier downed Singapore, 92-59, to secure a place in the semifinals.
Parks had 18 points, six rebounds and two assists, Bolick put up 17 points, six rebounds and two steals, while Ravena added 13 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals for Gilas.
Poy Erram, a last-minute replacement for Allen Liwag, had seven points, five rebounds, and two steals for Team Philippines.
Gilas trailed 22-16 after the first quarter before putting up a blistering second quarter, scoring 26 while limiting Malaysia to just four to go into the half up 42-26. -- The Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
