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| Sophia Dignadice "sings" in celebration after scoring for Gilas. POC Media Pool |
BANGKOK—Gilas Pilipinas completed a two-game sweep of Group B in women’s basketball after routing Singapore, 92-59, in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games on Sunday here.
The Gilas ladies led from start to finish, breaking away late in the second quarter for an outright spot in the semifinals as group winners at the Nimibutr Stadium.
Kacey dela Rosa had another big showing with 22 points and six rebounds as the Philippines next faces either the second-place team from Group A or the third-place team from Group B.
Group A comprises host Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
“Sabi ko sa kanila, dadaan at dadaan tayo sa butas ng karayom,” said coach Patrick Aquino.
“It’s either Indonesia or Thailand. Both teams are very strong and contenders.”
“And if we pass those teams, siyempre makukuha natin ‘yung gold,” he added.
The semifinals are on Thursday, with the bronze medal and gold medal matches set the following day.
Four other players scored in double figures for Gilas Women, which scored 13 in a row to go into the half up 41-28 and never looked back.
Sarah Heyn had 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists.
Sophia Dignadice tallied 12 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while skipper Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos added 10 points each.
Gilas opened its campaign with a come-from-behind 76-67 win over Malaysia last Saturday.
