Southeast Asian (SEA) basketball supremacy remains with Gilas Pilipinas.
The Philippines successfully defended its crown after prevailing over host Thailand, 70-64, in the men’s 5-on-5 event of the 33rd SEA Games at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.
The nationals clawed back from a 13-point deficit against a resilient Thai side to secure their 20th gold medal in the biennial meet, with Jamie Malonzo leading the charge.
The former Barangay Ginebra wing did most of his damage in the third quarter, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds, five steals, and three assists to help Gilas erase a nine-point halftime deficit.
Matthew Wright was equally solid with 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, while Robert Bolick added 10 markers despite being hit in the face early in the bout.
Dalph Panopio provided spark with nine points, JP Erram scattered eight points and six rebounds before fouling out, while Thirdy Ravena, Ced Manzano and Ray Parks, Jr. chipped in five, four and three points, respectively.
Changes to the eligibility rules made by the host nation meant that head coach Norman Black had to adjust his roster shortly before flying to Bangkok, with a handful of PBA players answering the call for flag and country.
Stars were plenty for Gilas throughout their unbeaten run in the tournament, but the gold medal match happened to be Malonzo’s time to shine.
With the Philippines trailing 54-55 with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter, the nationals erupted for 13 straight points, which was highlighted by a Malonzo layup at the 4:16 mark to seize a 67-55 lead and extend the momentum he had ignited in the third.
Thailand later trimmed the deficit to four, 64-68, with 1:11 remaining, but that was as close as the hosts could get as Bolick calmly sank his free throws with 8.1 seconds left to ice the game and seal the victory.
Emmanuel Chinedu Ejesu and Chanatip Jakrawan each scored 13 points for Thailand, but it was not enough as the hosts failed to capitalize on Gilas’ 31 fouls (29 defensive), converting just 26 of their 37 free-throw attempts (70.3 percent). (ABS-CBN News)