Gilas start SEABA bid with win over Malaysia

THE UNDERMANNED Smart Gilas-Pilipinas came alive in the second half that made up for a sluggish start to down Malaysia, 97-71, at the start of the 9th Southeast Asian Basketball Association Men’s Championship at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia.

At the helm of the fightback once again was diminutive guard JV Casio, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half that helped Gilas overcome Malaysia’s torrid shooting in the first half. Malaysia drained eight three-point shots.

Casio, who is suffering from a foot injury, led the Nationals on an 11-4 run at the start of the third period that helped them retake the lead after falling behind, 36-41, at halftime.

Japeth Aguilar added 14 points in the final period as the Gilas took a commanding, 73-59, lead with just seven minutes remaining in the game.

Aguilar ended up with 18 while Marcus Douthit, the naturalized Filipino, added 14 points on top of 15 rebounds. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio