Gilas survives Vietnamese scare

BANGKOK, Thailand — Robert Bolick caught fire in the fourth quarter, exploding for 10 points as reigning champion Gilas Pilipinas survived a scary challenge put up by Vietnam, 78-67, to advance to the semifinals of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games men’s 5-on-5 basketball competition Monday at the Nimibutr Stadium.

Gilas trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before coming out of the dugout after the break with a renewed fire to torch the Vietnamese for a perfect 2-0 win-loss record at the end of the Group A play. 

“It was a hard-earned win. It was a difficult win for us. I give credit to the Vietnam team for playing as well as they did. We struggled defensively again today so, something we need to fix in the next couple of days in practice,” Gilas head coach Norman Black said.

Bolick was held scoreless in the first 20 minutes of the game but rediscovered his touch just in time to help Gilas overhaul a 24-38 deficit in the second quarter.

The Gilas team captain finished with 13 points on 3-of-7 field goal shooting and added six rebounds, four assists and a block.

Big man JP Erram had 15 markers, Matthew Wright scored 14 while Jamie Malonzo flirted with a double-double of 10 points and eight boards.

Unlike in their 83-58 rout of Malaysia the day before, the Filipino cagers had a hard time shaking off the Vietnamese and even played catch-up.

Gilas turned it around in the third period and entered the fourth canto with a slim 61-60 advantage.

Bolick switched on attacking mode in the final quarter to shock the upset-conscious Vietnam. Gilas erected its biggest lead at 78-67 as final scoreline.

“Vietnam played really, really well today. They shot the ball well in the first half, and their defense was pretty solid.” Black said.

“Fortunately for us, the guys came up with the big plays in the stretch in the fourth quarter and we were able to get this win and move on into the tournament.”

Alas will have a two-day off and will wait for its semis opponent on Thursday.

Vietnam finished the preliminary round winless in two starts.

Huynh Phu Vinh Nguyen and Dang Khoa Tran paced Vietnam with 19 points each.