GILAS Pilipinas defeated Thailand, 87-72, on Thursday to capture their second consecutive victory in the men’s basketball tournament at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
The starting lineup for Gilas Pilipinas were Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Scottie Thompson, Calvin Oftana, and Chris Newsome.
Gilas got off to a difficult start, giving the Thais a two-point advantage at the end of the first quarter. But the Filipinos responded strongly in the next quarters, where they led by as many as 21 points.
The Thais were able to narrow the deficit to five points midway through the fourth quarter, 70-65, before the Filipinos regained control of the match.
Brownlee led Gilas with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists, his second double-double in the Asian Games.
CJ Perez also contributed significantly to the team’s success, assisting Brownlee and the Gilas Pilipinas in repelling Thailand’s last-ditch rally.
Coming off the bench, Perez was able to fill the stat sheet with an efficient 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
June Mar Fajardo had nine points, Calvin Oftana posted eight points, and Scottie Thompson added seven points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.
Tyler Lamb had a great shooting night and finished with a game-high 29 points to lead the Thais.
Frederick Lish collected 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
No other Thai player scored in double figures.
Thailand is currently 0-2 in the tournament, as was Bahrain, which fell 84-60 against an inspired Jordan team.
Gilas now leads Group C with a 2-0 record along with Jordan, which they will face on Saturday, September 30.
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