South Korea rips Thailand ahead of Gilas rematch
MANILA, Philippines — South Korea steamrolled Thailand, 120-53, on Saturday on the eve of its much-awaited rematch with the Philippines in the final window of the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in Clark, Pampanga.
The young South Korea side blew the game wide open in the second quarter, outscoring the Thais, 37-6, to stretch its lead to 60-18. At one point in the game, the South Koreans scored 31 unanswered points bridging the first and second quarter.
Article continues after this advertisementHa Yungi spearheaded South Korea’s charge with 34 points on 14-of-16 from the field.
South Korea, which put on a shooting clinic against Thailand with a 58 percent clip from the field, improved to 4-1 with its lone loss dealt by Gilas Pilipinas in dramatic fashion last Friday.
Gilas plays Korea again on Sunday, 3 p.m., with the Philippines looking to go undefeated in the qualifiers.
Article continues after this advertisementThailand, which fell to 0-5, hopes to avoid a winless campaign against Indonesia also on Sunday.