(Eagle News) — Gilas Pilipinas took home the bacon on Sunday night after beating Thailand in a nail-biting Southeast Asian Games opener.
The two national teams were neck-and-neck from the start, with Gilas gaining a slight advantage over the white shirts by the end of the first quarter.
Thailand took the lead in the second quarter with good shooting, but Gilas lagged closely behind.
The third quarter continued to be a close game between the two national teams, with Thailand taking a slight lead over the blue shirts at the start of the fourth.
But the Thai star Tyler Lamb fouled out later in the quarter, and Gilas took advantage of his absence, ending up two points up with barely four minutes in the clock.
With barely 16 seconds left, the Philippines pulled away slightly, and sustained the momentum, with a panicking Thai team fouling in a bid to stop the clock.
But Gilas only increased their lead further, raking in on the freethrows given away by the Thai team who refused to give up.
The final score: 74-81.
