SEA Games

HIGHLIGHTS: 31st SEA Games men’s basketball – Philippines vs Thailand

Delfin Dioquino, Martin Mendoza

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HIGHLIGHTS: 31st SEA Games men’s basketball – Philippines vs Thailand
Gilas Pilipinas opens its title defense against Thailand in a rematch of the 2019 SEA Games finals

Gilas Pilipinas stormed back from a double-digit deficit and escaped Thailand, 76-73, to kick off its title-retention bid in SEA Games men’s basketball on a high note.

Down by as many as 10 points in the opening quarter, the Filipinos slowly asserted their will before holding off the gritty Thais late behind June Mar Fajardo.

(READ: Slow-starting Gilas Pilipinas escapes Thailand in SEA Games opener)

Preview

No team has beaten Gilas Pilipinas in the Southeast Asian Games for over two decades.

The Nationals look to keep it that way as they open their men’s basketball campaign in Vietnam against Thailand at the Thanh Tri District Sporting Hall in Hanoi on Monday, May 16.

It will be a rematch of the 2019 SEA Games finals, which saw the Filipinos crush the Thais by 34 points en route to a 13th straight gold medal.

Another blowout win is anticipated as Gilas Pilipinas parades a pro-reinforced roster featuring Kiefer Ravena, who is shooting for a record-extending sixth consecutive SEA Games gold.

Other players who are eyeing a repeat gold finish in the biennial meet are June Mar Fajardo, Matthew Wright, Roger Pogoy, and Troy Rosario.

A champion in 3×3 basketball in the previous SEA Games, Mo Tautuaa seeks another gold, this time in the 5-on-5 iteration of the sport.

Game time is 4 pm.

– Rappler.com

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Delfin Dioquino

Delfin Dioquino dreamt of being a PBA player, but he did not have the skills to make it. So he pursued the next best thing to being an athlete – to write about them. He took up journalism at the University of Santo Tomas and joined Rappler as soon as he graduated in 2017.