Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Andray Blatche didn’t play but Gilas Pilipinas didn’t really need his services on Wednesday night.
With Blatche resting, the Philippines still proved to be unbeatable after ripping Vietnam, 107-52, for its fifth straight win in the 2017 Seaba Championship at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Gilas raced to a commanding 18-5 lead in the first four minutes of the game but somehow, Vietnam managed to stay within respectable range, down by just 12 heading into the second period.
Head coach Chot Reyes said the Philippines wasn’t discipline enough in the first half.
“We went into this ballgame with the intent and purpose of making sure that we keep our discipline and retain good habits, and not fall into bad habits. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case in the first quarter, in the first half,” Reyes said.
“Overall, still a pretty good effort from our guys.”
Matthew Wright again had a superb shooting night, going 5-of-7 from threes to finish with 19 points. The whole Gilas team went 10-of-25 from downtown
Calvin Abueva and Raymond Almazan had an identical 16 markers and six-rebound statline, while Troy Rosario got 12 points on a 6-of-7 clip from the field, to go with eight rebounds.
Blatche is averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks but Gilas hardly missed his output.
The Philippines and fellow undefeated team Indonesia will dispute the lone ticket to the 2017 Fiba Asia Cup in Lebanon on Thursday.
Nguyen Thanh Nhan led Vietnam (1-4) with 11 points and two rebounds.
The scores:
PHILIPPINES 107 – Wright 19, Abueva 16, Almazan 16, Rosario 12, Jalalon 10, Maliksi 8, Pogoy 7, Castro William 7, Aguilar 5, Romeo 4, Fajardo 3.
VIETNAM 52 – Nguyen TN 11, Nguyen VH 9, Trieu 9, Le NT 8, Tran 7, Le PT 4, Nguyen HH 2, Dang 2, To 0.
Quarters: 28-16, 53-29, 89-40, 107-52.