By Jay R. Gotera
Saudi Gazette
MANILA — With Gilas Pilipinas taking a day off, Indonesia provided the nightcap fireworks in the 2017 SEABA Championship with a 95-52 demolition of Vietnam on Monday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Indonesians had little trouble trouncing the Vietnamese, breaking the game wide open early for their fourth win in as many games, moving ahead of the Philippines (3-0) in the standings. Vietnam absorbed its second loss in three games.
The Indonesians were especially sharp from beyond the three-point arc, drilling 14 of them, with Prastawa Dhyaksa and Sandy Kurniawan doing most of the damage.
Dhyaksa led Indonesia with 19 points, five assists, one board, and one steal in 23 minutes off the bench, while Kurniawan drained six three-pointers for 18 points.
The Vietnamese scored the first four points of the game, but the Indonesians countered with a 13-0 blast en route to turning the game into a rout.
Malaysia 45, Singapore 41
Malaysia weathered a late rally by Singapore before completing a 44-41 victory—its first win in the tournament in four games. Singapore remained winless in three outings.
The Malaysians enjoyed a sizable lead but had some momentary scare when the Singaporeans made it a game in the final quarter. Two-time Asean Basketball League MVP Wong Wei Long scored on a short jumper followed by an undergoal stab by Leon Kwek as the Singaporeans came to within two points, 41-43 with 25.6 seconds left.
After Malaysia’s Kek Chan split his free throws to give his team a three-point lead, Singapore had a chance to force overtime but Wong and Hanbin Ng both missed their three-point attempts.
Ting Chun Hong led Malaysia with 18 points on top of seven boards. Singapore, meanwhile, was led Delvin Goh who finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks that meant nothing in the loss.
Thailand 102, Myanmar 35
Wutipong Dasom exploded for 40 points and 11 rebounds as Thailand crushed SEABA first-timer Myanmar, 102-35. The victory was Thailand’s second in three games ahead of Tuesday’s clash with the undefeated powerhouse Gilas Pilipinas. Myanmar fell to its third loss in as many games.
Dasom put on a show, including a spectacular two-handed slam off a spin in the final quarter. Aung Wana led Myanmar with 10 points and six rebounds but committed nine turnovers.
Games on Tuesday, May 16, 2017: Myanmar (0-3) vs. Singapore (0-3); Malaysia (1-3) vs. Vietnam (1-3) and Philippines (3-0) vs. Thailand (3-1)
