The Smart-Gilas national basketball team defeated Malaysia, 85-50, on Friday in the third South East Asian Basketball Association Cup at the 700-Year Stadium in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Former San Beda standout Garvo Lanete led all scorers with 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting. Naturalized center Marcus Douthit made 7-of-9 from the line to finish with 11 points.

The nationals also featured four players who tallied eight points apiece, namely Alaska Aces Sonny Thoss and LA Tenorio, as well as former college stars Emman Monfort and Aldrech Ramos.

On the other end of the floor, the Philippines held their opponents to just 16 points in the entire first half. It didn’t help Malaysia either that they settled for many shots from beyond the arc, recording a miserable 4-for-30 mark for the game.

After an initial 4-0 lead by Gilas, Ng Sing Tee was fouled on an attempt from deep. He converted all three free throws, and the Malaysians fought back to tie the game at 7-all with under four minutes in the frame.

Gilas promptly recovered, taking advantage of their opponents’ penalty situation and scored their next five from the charity stripe. Lanete rifled in a trey from the left wing in the last minute to cap off a 15-8 first quarter for the Nationals.

In the second period, the Philippines regained their form and imposed their size on the smaller Malaysians. Douthit and former FEU Tamaraw Aldrech Ramos took turns scoring in a 14-4 run by Gilas to widen the margin, 29-12. In the latter half of the quarter, the backcourt took over as former Blue Eagle Emman Monfort sank two triples, combining with Chris Tiu for 10 points in another 14-4 blitz, for a decisive 43-16 margin at the break.

The national team put up 28 points in the second period, their second highest quarter output in the tournament, while shooting 8-for-16 from the field.

The Philippines showed no signs of letting up, as Alaska Ace LA Tenorio drained a trey when play resumed after halftime, followed by a basket from Baracael for a 48-20 advantage. Gilas then turned to Lanete, who carried the team with 11 points in a 13-5 over the next six minutes.

Borgie Hermida dished to Dave Marcelo for a deuce in the final minute, and then finished at the rim before time expired to bring the tally to 65-28 after three quarters.

Malaysia actually outscored Gilas 22-20 in the fourth quarter, helped by making four of their first five tries from the field, which yielded a 9-4 blast to chip the deficit to 30, on a basket in the lane by Chong Juin Wip with six minutes to play. But it was a consolation prize as the victory had become a forgone conclusion by then.

Choo Wei Hong led Malaysia with eight points on a 3 for 9 effort. None of Malaysia’s players reached double digit scoring.

The Philippines will play their final game against the host country, Thailand, on Saturday to clinch the tournament and qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Philippines 85: Lanete 14, Douthit 11, Baracael 9, Monfort 8, Ramos 8, Tenorio 8, Thoss 8, Co 5, Tiu 4, Hermida 4

Malaysia 50: Choo 8, Tong 7, Ng Sing Tee 6, Chong 6, Loh 6, Ong 5, Kuek 5, Gan  3, Kwaan 3, Ng Kiat Kee 1, Yeo 0, Chin 0

Quarter scoring: 15-8, 43-16, 65-28, 85-50