MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas broke away in the second half and defeated host Vietnam, 88-60, in the 31st Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball late Thursday night at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam.
June Mar Fajardo led the way with double-double 25 points and 11 rebounds. Ilonggo Kiefer Ravena and Francis Lopez added 12 markers each.
Gilas Pilipinas stayed perfect with 4-0 slate.
It struggled with shots in the first quarter as they clung to a 20-17 lead. The advantage was just nine for the Philippine team at the half with only Fajardo at the forefront of offense.
The national team became aggressive in the second half. They launched a 6-0 scoring blast for a 62-47 edge on baskets by Lopez and Bacolodnon Kib Montalbo.
Gilas Pilipinas widened the lead further in the fourth quarter with Fajardo unloading five straight points and Frederick Tungcab, Roger Pogoy and William Navarro making their shots for its biggest lead of 24.
The Vincent “Chot” Reyes-mentored crew got a break on Friday before they wrapped up their matches against Malaysia at 12 noon of May 21 and Indonesia at four in the afternoon of May 22.
Gilas Pilipinas Women, for their part, cruised to its third consecutive victory in the women’s basketball after a 118-87 blowout victory against host Vietnam.
Behind the hot outside shooting of Khate Castillo in the first two quarters, the Gilas Pilipinas Women opened up a huge 58-35 upperhand heading into the break.
The national women’s basketball team pulled away further in the second half as the lead reached its biggest at 90-62 on back-to-back triples by Andrea Tongco and twinners by Janine Pontejos.
Castillo finished with 25 points and two assists, Afril Bernardino and Gabi Bade each had 14 points, while Bernardino added 12 rebounds as Gilas Pilipinas Women improved to 3-0.
After taking a break on Friday, Gilas Pilipinas Women will finish the eliminations against Singapore at 10 a.m. on May 21 and Malaysia at 10 am on Sunday./PN
