Pontejos shines as Gilas Women capture silver with romp of Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines – Despite falling short of their three-peat gold-medal bid in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games women’s basketball competition, Gilas Pilipinas Women bagged the silver medal following a dominant 77-63 win against Malaysia at the Morodok Techo Stadium in Phnom Penh on Monday, May 15.

Janine Pontejos was on a mission for the Philippines as she erupted for a game-high 24 points built on five long bombs and a perfect 7-of-7 clip from the free throw line.

Khate Castillo also sustained her solid play for Gilas Women, backstopping Pontejos with 18 points on 4-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Philippines wrapped up its campaign with a 5-1 record behind unbeaten gold medalist Indonesia (6-0), while Malaysia picked up the bronze (4-2).

Unlike in men’s play, the women’s division features a round-robin, no-playoff tournament, thus awarding the gold to the team with the best record. 

The Filipinas wasted little time in flexing their muscles over Malaysia as they immediately put up an 11-point lead at the end of the opening frame, 21-10, of their virtual battle for silver.

Pontejos set the tone for Gilas Women early, knocking down three of her five treys in the first 10 minutes alone.

In the second period, it was Castillo who took over for the Philippines, dropping 12 of her 18 points to help the Filipinas push their lead to 19 points at the half, 48-29.

Malaysia managed to get as close as 11 points, 56-67, midway through the fourth quarter, but the lead that Gilas Women built early on simply proved too much for the Malaysians to overcome in the endgame. 

Camille Clarin added 9 points on 3-of-9 clip from long distance, while Afril Bernardino filled up the stat sheet with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals for the Philippines.

Hui Pin Pang, meanwhile, topscored for Malaysia, with 15 markers. – Rappler.com