Gilas Pilipinas encountered rough sailing early in its opening game at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Thailand against Malaysia. But the Norman Black-helmed national team, led by Bobby Ray Parks Jr., eventually found its groove on its way to an 83–58 victory at Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok to get its 5×5 campaign off to a winning note.
Malaysia Starts Off Strong
Malaysia, thanks to some hot shooting early on, got off to a strong start as the Filipinos kept misfiring in the first few minutes. At the end of the first, in fact, it was Malaysia on top, 22–16, as Gilas’ lack of familiarity and chemistry showed throughout the opening quarter.
Ray Parks Jr. Takes Over
Gilas Pilipinas, though, started finding its rhythm in the second quarter, scoring the first six points to tie the game at 22 before rifling off 20 unanswered points after the two teams were knotted at 26. In all, the Filipinos outscored their Malaysian counterparts, 26–4, in the second canto to take a 42–26 lead into halftime.
Leading the charge for Gilas was Bobby Ray Parks Jr., who fired 12 of his 15 first-half points in the second quarter alone. Parks, a mainstay of the Gilas program, attacked the basket relentlessly, got to the foul line six times, and made two triples as he took charge for the national team.
Malaysia Shows Fight, But Gilas Was Too Good
The Malaysians wouldn’t simply roll over and die, though, as they scored the first four points after halftime and got to within seven points several times in a bounce-back third quarter. In all, Malaysia won the third canto, 25–20, to enter the payoff period down by 11, 62–51.
But that would be Malaysia’s final stand, as Gilas shut the door with a 21–7 fourth quarter to seal its first win of the tournament. Overall, the nationals shot just 34% from the field but were 30-for-35 from the foul line. They also made 9 of their 32 attempts from downtown, while holding the Malaysians to just 30% shooting from the field.
Ray Parks Jr. was the top scorer for both teams with 20. Robert Bolick added 17 markers and 6 boards, while Thirdy Ravena chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds.
