Gilas men rout Malaysia; women demolish Singapore

GILAS PILIPINAS bucked a slow start to hammer Malaysia, 83-58, for a rousing debut in the 33 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) men’s basketball on Sunday at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.

- John Bryan Ulanday

Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. posted 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals as Gilas recovered from a six-point deficit in the first quarter en route to 1-0 slate in Group A.

Nine more players racked up the scoring board with team captain Robert Bolick and Thirdy Ravena scoring 17 and 13 points, respectively, for the Nationals, who will face Vietnam next in a bid to sweep the group play and book an outright ticket.

A win by Gilas against Vietnam on Monday would propel the squad straight to the semifinals with the second and third-ranked squads still needing to go through the qualification under the new SEAG basketball format.