 |
| PBA (file photo) |
By Julian Reyes
BANGKOK--The Philippines has been the most dominant basketball team in the Southeast Asia ever since the region started to organize international tournaments, winning 25 golds and two silvers out of 28 games it participated.
And on its quest for its 26th gold, and second in the SEABA Stankovic Cup - which was founded on 2012 - Malaysia became the first victim of the Filipinos' overwhelming force.
Troy Rosario scored 19 points while Mac Belo had 16 as the Gilas Cadet opened its 2016 SEABA Cup campaign with a 108-84 rout of Malaysia at Stadium 29 on Sunday.
Rosario and Belo combined for a dazzling 14-of-16 field goal shooting with the former adding eight rebounds and a rejection to lead the Philippines.
Mike Tolomia added 13 points, six boards and four dimes, Kevin Ferrer had 12 as everyone except one scored for the Gilas.
Raymar Jose came one point shy of a double-double as he tallied nine points and 13 rebounds.
The Philippines victory put Malaysia's splendid shooting beyond the arc and Y. Wong's game-high 22 points performance on naught.
The Gilas Cadet faces Singapore on Tuesday at the same venue after a one-day break. Singapore will take on Indonesia on Monday
Despite the 24-point blowout win against Malaysia in its first assignment, the Philippines showed some sloppy performance at the start of the game but eventually got rid of it when the players finally got going.
Malaysia was able to stay within reach during the first quarter as Y. Wong and T. Kuek brought up the challenge with their perimeter and outside shots going in.
However, Kuek suddenly faded in the contest as the Philippines defense finally clicked and became more aggressive on the offensive end that led to a 29-20 lead for the Filipinos after first.
The Philippines took care of the business afterwards and even took a 28-point lead at the seventh minute mark of the fourth quarter after Roger Pogoy connected a trifecta off a Belo's dish.
The Philippines relentlessly attacked Malaysia's inside defense, drawing 30 fouls which was converted to 27 freebies. The Filipinos attempted 40 free throws in the entire game.
The Filipinos also did a great job cleaning the glass as they recorded 57 rebounds, 17 higher than Malaysia's 40.
They also had a huge advantage scoring in the paint, 44-20, second chance points, 21-14, and points off turnovers, 24-3.
Earlier Sunday, host team Thailand kicked off its own campaign with a 45-point romp of a listless Indonesia squad, scoring an 89-44 win in the first game.
Follow him on Twitter: @JrAdmiral_16
.jpg)
