LeBron Lopez unleashed as Gilas Pilipinas rips Cambodia by 68

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas carved out a customary Southeast Asian Games beatdown as it picked up its second straight win in Vietnam with a 68-point mauling of Cambodia.

Pushed to the limit by Thailand in its SEA Games opener, the Philippines vented its ire on Cambodia in a 100-32 rout at the Thanh Tri District Sporting Hall in Hanoi on Tuesday, May 17. 

Head coach Chot Reyes unleashed youngster Francis “LeBron” Lopez as the Filipinos gained much-needed momentum in their bid to capture a 14th straight gold medal.

Sidelined against Thailand, Lopez – the youngest in the team at 18 years old – notched a game-high 17 points on top of 5 rebounds and 2 blocks to show the way in the Philippines’ first-half breakaway.

Cambodia led 6-5 early in the opening quarter before the Philippines closed the second half with a 52-11 blast to enter the break sitting on a comfortable 57-17 cushion.

William Navarro backstopped Lopez with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Jaydee Tungcab churned out 14 points and 5 steals as the three Filipino players who did not see action against the Thais proved their worth.

Gilas Pilipinas slowed down in the third quarter, netting only 14 points in the period, before outscoring Cambodia by 20 points in the final frame en route to the most lopsided win of the tournament.

The 68-point romp eclipsed the 47-point win Thailand pulled off against Malaysia earlier on Tuesday.

Isaac Go churned out a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Matthew Wright added 10 points as the Philippines’ usual suspects got well-deserved rest ahead of their clash against Singapore on Wednesday.

Twin towers June Mar Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa played just eight minutes, while Kiefer Ravena saw the floor for only 12 minutes.

Only six players scored for lowly Cambodia, with Michael Henry Seng leading with 8 points.

The Scores

Philippines 100 – Lopez 17, Navarro 16, Tungcab 14, Go 13, Wright 10, Montalbo 8, T. Ravena 5, Fajardo 5, Rosario 4, Pogoy 4, Tautuaa 2, K. Ravena 2. 

Cambodia 32 – Seng 8, Tep 7, So 7, Hu 6, Chin 2, Soy 2, Kun 0, Khou 0, Te 0.

Quarters: 32-9, 57-17, 71-23, 100-32. 

– Rappler.com