SEA Games: Gilas cadets win battle of undefeated squads versus Thais

The Philippine national men’s basketball team came through in a big way against the previously undefeated Thailand team, routing them 100-68, Friday at the Zeya-thiri Stadium in Myanmar, in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games basketball tournament.

Both teams entered with 3-0 records, but it was the Philippines that stayed unblemished after the final buzzer.

Now in pole position for a gold medal, the Philippines can go undefeated as they did two years ago with victories over Indonesia (1-3) on Saturday and Malaysia (2-1) on Sunday.

It was the second straight game the Philippines scored at least 100 points, after routing Cambodia on Thursday 107-57.

Kevin Ferrer exploded for 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, going 4-of-9 from deep. Jake Pascual came off the bench for 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kiefer Ravena scored 14 in a reserve role.

Thailand stuck close to Gilas early on, but a Garvo Lanete triple made it 14-5 for his side’s first lead of more than two possessions, under five minutes in the first period. They then got their first double-digit lead on their last possession of the quarter on a Ravena trey, 29-17. Their opponents never got it back to single-digits after that.

The Sinag squad shot 53 percent (37-of-70) from the field while holding their foes to a 21-of-72 clip, 1-of-19 from three-point territory. The Thais did get more free throws (36 versus 28), but couldn’t hit enough to make a dent in the big lead.

The Philippines also played better team ball, with a 20-6 assists margin. They continue to dominate inside the paint with a 52-34 difference. - AMD, GMA News


Quarter scoring: 29-17, 54-33, 85-42, 100-68