QUEZON CITY—Mario Wuysang came up big in the final 11.1 seconds as Indonesia walked away with a 60-59 win over Thailand in a crucial SEABA Men's Championship battle at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
Wuysang hit the go-ahead basket and the game-saving steal as the Indons, despite losing a nine-point fourth quarter lead, escaped with the W.
Indonesia was up, 52-43, with 7:50 remaining.
But Thailand scored eight straight points to come to within one, 51-52, with 5:56 remaining.
Sandy Kurniawan kept the Indons afloat with a triple with 5:39 left for a 55-51 count.
But the Thais responded with a 6-1 run of their own to go up, 57-56, with 3:27 to go.
Hardionus Lakudu and Sort Sunthonsiri exchanged baskets later on, setting up a wild finish, especially with both sides going scoreless for nearly a hundred seconds afterward.
Wuysang finally broke the offensive spell with the eventual game-winner for Indonesia.
Thailand had one final chance to preserve the comeback, but Nattakam Muangboon lost the ball to Wuysang, who milked the remaining four seconds of the game.
Kurniawan led the Indons, who are provisionally on top of the standings at 3-0, with 17 points, two rebounds, and three assists.
Chitchai Ananti
Indonesia won despite shooting only 33 percent from the field as the team only committed 11 errors compared to Thailand's 23.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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