The Philippine men’s national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, defeated Thailand 87-72 in their second group stage match of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on September 28, 2023.
Thailand had a good start leading as much as 10 pts with just 1:12 remaining in the period but Gilas went on a run to cut the lead to just 2 pts by the end of first quarter. They continued to dominate in the second quarter, specially in the defense, outscoring Thailand 21 to 13 to extend their lead to 41-35 at halftime.
Gilas Pilipinas continued their onslaught to build a 18 points lead in the third quarter, and despite the late run by Thailand, Gilas cruised to an easy victory in the end.
Justin Brownlee once again lead the team with 19 pts, 11 rebs with 3 assists and 4 steals. He was also 4-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. CJ Perez added 16 points, 7 rebs, 4 assist and 3 steals. Junmar Fajardo chipped in 9 pts, 6 rebs, with 2 assists and 1 block.
Thailand was led by Tyler Lamb and Frederick Lee Jones List, scoring 29 pts and 22 pts, respectively. No other Thailand player scored more than 6 pts, and the team only played 7 players.
This was Gilas Pilipinas’ second win in the Asian Games group stage and will look to finish the group stage undefeated when they face Jordan, who is also undefeated for an outright quarterfinal berth. The game against Jordan will on Saturday, Sept. 30th at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.
The Scores:
- Philippines 87 – Brownlee 22, Perez 16, Fajardo 9, Oftana 8, Thompson 7, Aguilar 6, Kouame 5, Newsome 5, Alas 3, Tolentino 3, Lassiter 3, Ross 0.
- Thailand 72 – Lamb 29, Lish 22, Muangboon 6, Morgan 5, Jakrawan 4, Klahan 4, Klaewnarong 2, Towaroj 0, Boonserm 0, Jaisanuk 0.
Quarters: 20-22, 41-35, 68-50, 87-72.
