Team Pilipinas waylays Malaysia in SEABA debut

MANILA, Philippines – The Powerade-Team Pilipinas coasted to a 100-73 win over Malaysia for an impressive debut in the 8th SEABA Men's Championship at the Angkasapura Lanud Basketball Hall in Medan, Indonesia. Led by Arwind Santos with 19 points, the Nationals established as much as a 32-point lead but still needed a strong finishing kick to put away a stubborn Malaysian quintet. The PBA-backed RP squad takes on the host Indonesia next in what many see as the preview for the championship of the meet that serves as gateway for the FIBA-Asia men's basketball championship in Taijin, China this August. “I think we’ll improve as the tournament progresses," declared coach Yeng Guiao. “But we have to play better defense. We tend to relax every time we got into a run." The Nationals did relax a bit early in the third period, allowing the hot-shooting Malaysians to put together a 9-0 run that brought them from a 51-31 deficit to within nine points. But Santos conspired with rookie Jared Dillinger, Cyrus Baguio and Willie Miller to put away the Malaysians midway in the second half, building an 88-56 advantage on Asi Taulava’s basket. Baguio finished with 16 points to complement Santos, while Dillinger and Miller had 15 and 13, respectively. The “mental mistakes", Guiao said, were negated by the Nationals’ execution. “We’re O.K. on the technical side. We can shoot from the outside, we ran our breaks, and we also moved the ball well," the fiery mentor added. Guiao also achieved some sort of a self-satisfaction in beating the Malaysians, the same and only team to inflict a championship loss to the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games during its 7th edition in 1989, a time when Guiao was assistant to national mentor Derick Pumaren. Point guard Reyes hurt But despite the win, Guiao expressed concern over the potential loss of point guard Ryan Reyes. A revelation during the RP-Australia Goodwill Series, Reyes pulled a hamstring on his left thigh as he drove along the baseline with 1:24 left in the opening period. The Sta. Lucia Realty sophomore fell to the floor clutching the back of his thigh and limped back to the bench with help of team manager JB Baylon and assistant coach Roehl Nadurata. “I heard a pop as I took off," said Reyes as an ice pack was being applied on his injury. “I have yet to talk to our trainer and hear his assessment," said Guiao. “But Ryan will be a great loss if ever. We’re down to one point guard, Willie Miller, and he’s not really a natural point. This is something I have to talk to the coaching staff about." Malaysia converted 11 of 25 three-point shots, but had no other weapon to match the Nationals’ firepower, especially in the fourth quarter. – GMANews.TV