Cebuano big man June Mar Fajardo of the Philippines side steps against the defense of Malaysia’s Choo Wei Hong in yesterday’s main game of the SEABA Championships at the Araneta Coliseum.
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Philippine National Team clobbers Malaysia to stay undefeated in SEABA
Games today:
Smart Araneta Coliseum
3 p.m. – Thailand vs. Myanmar
5 p.m. – Singapore vs Malaysia
7 p.m – Indonesia vs. Vietnam
Gilas Pilipinas was unstoppable for the third straight game as it clobbered Malaysia, 106-51, in the 2017 Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Championships yesterday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For a change, the Philippines trailed for the first time in the tournament after Malaysia scored the first basket of the game on a Teo Kok Hou basket with 9:46 to play.
But Jayson Castro set June Mar Fajardo up for the quick retort, a three-point play that ignited 13 straight points for the Gilas and triggered an avalanche of baskets for a 61-26 halftime lead.
Malaysia applied its learnings from the PBA D-League and dragged the Philippines to a physical game, but the offense just wasn’t there for the upset-conscious foes as Gilas continued its torrid shooting and went 50 percent from the field.
The Philippines, which rose to 3-0 (win-loss), takes a break today before playing Thailand tomorrow.
Andray Blatche, Matthew Wright, Terrence Romeo, Troy Rosario, Castro and Cebuano RR Pogoy led the Gilas’ scoring parade , firing at least 10 apiece.
Earlier, Indonesia’s gritty nine-man crew fought Thailand in a tough grind-out battle and squeezed through in the dying seconds, 60-59, to stay abreast with Gilas at 3-0. /