Gilas vs. Thailand: Philippines Secures Second Win in Asian Games Basketball
The result of the Gilas vs. Thailand game is now out, as the Philippines men’s basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, secured its second victory in the Men’s basketball competition of the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China.
Naturalized Filipino and former import Justin Brownlee spearheaded the Gilas victory against Thailand as he conspired with Gilas mainstay CJ Perez in defeating Thailand with the final score of 87-72 in favor of Gilas Pilipinas.
The Gilas Pilipinas squad’s team record is now unscatched with two successive victories in the 19th Asian Games men’s basketball competitions on Thursday at the Zheijiang University Gymnasium in China.
Justin Brownlee top-scored for Gilas with 22 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and making five assists. In comparison, CJ Perez top-scored for the locals with 16 points off the bench as the duo of Brownlee and Perez defeated the Thais, who mainly relied on offense from Tyler Lamb and Frederick Lish.
Thailand’s Tyler Lamb scored 21 points in the first half alone but only 8 points in the second half, but still top-scored for Thailand with 29 points. His compatriot Frederick Lish backed him up with 22 points, but their efforts were insufficient to foil a Philippine victory.
The defeat against Gilas was the second loss for the Thai national basketball team after they suffered an early loss against Jordan, scoring just 63 points against Jordan’s 87 points.
The victory against Thailand gave the Philippines its second victory. It could boost confidence heading into a highly anticipated match-up against Jordan, which showcased NBA veteran and former TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Aside from Brownlee and Perez’s performance against Thailand, June Mar Fajardo chipped in nine points, Calvin Oftana scored eight points, while Scottie Thompson tossed in seven more with eight rebounds and nine assists.
In the match-up against Thailand, Gilas Pilipinas trailed by 10 points early in the game. Still, they could remedy that deficit against the determined Thais with the impressive 15 unanswered points in the second period of the Gilas vs. Thailand game.
Since the second half of the game, the Philippines was in cruise control going into the third period until the last quarter of the game.
The Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball team is scheduled to go up against the Jordanians, who have also made two straight victories against their opponents, following a rout of the Bahrainis in the opening game of the Asian Games.
Watch the Highlights Video (Gilas vs. Thailand):
The Scores:
Philippines (87) – Brownlee 22, Perez 16, Fajardo 9, Oftana 8, Thompson 7, Aguilar 6, Newsome 5, Kouame 5, Alas 3, Lassiter 3, Tolentino 3, Ross 0.
Thailand (72) – Lamb 29, Lish 22, Muangboon 6, Morgan 5, Jakrawan 4, Klahan 4, Klaewnarong 2, Boonserm 0, Jaisanuk 0, Towaroj 0.
Quarterscores: 20-22, 41-35, 68-50, 87-72.
