MANILA, Philippines - Team Philippines posted its second straight lopsided victory in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championship, beating Indonesia, 80-52, yesterday and moving within two wins from sweeping the SEABA crown in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Mac Baracael, an Alaska Milk rookie and one of the leading scorers in the first Smart Gilas squad, came away with 16 points while Garvo Lanete, a former San Beda gunner, added 14 markers for the defending champions Smart Gilas II in the event serving as a qualifier for the FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo, Japan later this year.
Naturalized player Marcus Douthit and former Gilas I skipper Chris Tiu chipped in 13 points apiece while Dave Marcelo, another former Red Lion, added 11 markers to underscore the team’s balanced attack.
The Nationals, who waylaid the Singaporeans, 96-58, the other day, take on the Malaysians today before closing out their campaign against the hosts tomorrow.
The Filipinos dominated the event last year where they recorded a whopping average winning margin of 40 points in Jakarta, Indonesia.