Gilas Pilipinas annihilates Singapore to punch SEA Games semis ticket
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Gilas Pilipinas jumped to a blazing 21-0 start and shredded Singapore to pieces, 105-45, to advance to the semifinals of the Southeast Asian Games men’s 5-on-5 basketball on Saturday, May 13.
Fresh from a shocking 79-68 loss to Group A leader Cambodia (2-0), the Filipinos vented their ire on the Singaporeans to end the group stage with a 2-1 record and punch their final four ticket.
The Philippines will face either defending champion Indonesia (2-0) or Thailand (2-0) in the semifinals, depending on which wins their Sunday clash for the top spot in Group B.
CJ Perez and Justin Brownlee set the tone in the rout with 6 and 5 points, respectively, in the opening 21-0 run and Gilas Pilipinas never looked back.
Singapore, on the other hand, struggled to score that Filipinos in attendance at the Morodok Techo Sports Complex here cheered for the opposing team when Jun Xavier Ng cut their deficit to 5-29 at end of the first quarter.
Brownlee finished with 12 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds, while Perez put up a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Marcio Lassiter topscored with 16 points for the Philippines, which is seeking to recapture the SEA Games crown it ceded to Indonesia last year.
The semifinals is set on Monday, May 15.
The Scores
Philippines 105 – Lassiter 16, Perez 13, Brownlee 12, Lastimosa 12, Phillips 12, Ganuelas-Rosser 10, Tolentino 9, Newsome 7, Standhardinger 7, Amos 4, Ross 3.
Singapore 45 –Shi 10, J. Lim 8, Chiam 8, Ju. Ng 6, K. Lim 4, Zhi 3, Qing 2, Jo. Ng 2, Duanyung 2, Rengarajan 0.
Quarters: 29-5, 56-19, 86-34, 105-45.
– Rappler.com