Gilas opens SEA Games campaign with 45-point rout of Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas opened its title redemption bid in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on a high note as it cruised to an easy 94-49 win over Malaysia at the Morodok Techno National Stadium in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, May 9.

In his debut in a Gilas Pilipinas men’s 5×5 basketball uniform, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser dropped a team-high 15 points, while naturalized player Justin Brownlee had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in only 15 minutes and 29 seconds of play.

Arvin Tolentino also breached double-digit scoring with 10 points, while La Salle standout Mike Phillips delivered an impressive all-around showing of 9 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 blocks in his national team debut.

The Philippines, which is looking to reclaim its throne after settling for a silver-medal finish last year, wasted no time in imposing its dominance over Malaysia as it immediately built a huge 33-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

Gilas Pilipinas then continued to show no mercy in the second period, outscoring Malaysia, 25-10, to extend its 21-point advantage to 36, 58-22, at halftime.

“We challenged the first group to get us off to a good start. It’s really their responsibility to start us off well,” Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes told reporters after the game.

Ganuelas-Rosser set the tone early for the Philippines, unloading 11 of his 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first two quarters alone.

The Philippines never looked back the rest of the way, even pushing its lead to as many as 50 points, 82-32, off a layup by incoming Ateneo rookie Mason Amos late in the third frame.

Like Phillips, Gilas Pilipinas veteran Marcio Lassiter scored 9 points on a perfect 3-of-3 clip from deep, while Amos, CJ Perez, and Adamson star Jerom Lastimosa all added 8 points each.

Yi Hou Wong was the lone bright spot for the Malaysians in the one-sided affair, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 7 rebounds.

Gilas Pilipinas shoots for a 2-0 start when it collides with host Cambodia, which has multiple naturalized players in its 12-man lineup, on Thursday, May 11 at 6 pm, Manila time. 

The Scores

Philippines 94 – Ganuelas-Rosser 15, Brownlee 11, Tolentino, 19, Phillips 9, Lassiter 9, Amos 8, Perez 8, Lastimosa 8, Newsome 7, Oftana 5, Standhardinger 4, Ross 0.  

Malaysia 49 – Wong 15, Ting 7, Ooi 7, Kuek 6, Chang 4, Lee 3, Heng 3, Mahadevan 2, De 2, Liew 0, Ong 0, Wee 0.

Quarters: 33-12, 58-22, 84-38, 94-49.

– Rappler.com