Starters Vidal Massiah, Julius Nwosu, Marvin Cruz and Jason Castro dished out solid performances, carrying much of the fight for the team with their reserves playing tentatively coming off the bench.
Massiah, bringing out the stuff he failed to show with San Miguel Beer in the PBA, came through with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting in just 27 minutes of action.
Nwosu dominated the paint for 16 rebounds, 11 points and five blocks while Cruz and Castro manned the backcourt efficiently, combining for 23 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and four steals.
The Nationals started the game with a 24-5 run, led by as many as 22 at 60-38 and 65-43 but couldn’t sustain a steady pace on the erratic showing of their second group.
Injuries to Massiah and Chico Lanete also slowed down the team facing a fierce-fighting Malaysian side which is in the final phase of its buildup for the SEABA championship in Thailand next month.
Massiah and Lanete both suffered ankle sprain. Lanete’s, however, looked severe that he may miss their game against host SM Britama-Indonesia Wednesday.
"Our bench was tentative, but I can’t blame them. Most of them are in their first international stint," said coach Junel Baculi. "But somehow it could work to our advantage. My idea really was to keep some of my players so as not to expose them to the scouts of the other teams."
Baculi made special mention of Jonathan Fernandez who played for only six minutes but responded with two triples.
JC Intal was notably tentative, attempting just once in 16 minutes of action. He later apologized to the coaching staff and promised to do better in the next game.
"Yung attitude ng ibang players natin typical na aasa na lang kapag may imports. They tend to forget that they’re also good players," said assistant coach Louie Alas.
But not Cruz, who was remarkable in his first international game, bucking dirty tactics of his Malaysian counterparts as he churned out 15 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
The former UP Maroon kept his poise and composure though hit a number of times by Malaysia’s rugged defenders.