Game 1: Philippines-Malaysia http://www.fibaasia.net/PDFUpload/PDF01201162334958.PDF
For the first 25 minutes of the game (2 1/2 quarters), the Malaysians gave the Smart Gilas Pilipinas a fight and a run for their money. But with 4:34 left to go in the third quarter, JV Casio hit a three to break a 49-49 deadlock and then after a Malysian miss, he hit a two-point field goal to give the Philippines a 54-49 lead and they never looked back.
Casio led the way scoring wise off the bench with 19 points (7/11 FG, 3/6 3pt) and also posted 3 assists and a steal in 23 minutes.
Japeth Aguilar came off the bench and also played well, powering his way to 18 points and 5 rebounds.
Big performace mula sa naturalized center Marcus Douthit, He had a very effective game on the low block, garnering 14 points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes of play.
Starting guard Chris Tiu was the other man in double figures scoring, hitting for 12 points, including three 3's.
The Philippines owned the paint, outrebouding the Malaysians 51-21 and outscored them in the paint 58-24.
In the losing effort the Malysians were led by Ho Yeow Loong with 11 points and 2 steals. #8 Choo Wei Hong hit for 10 off the bench and grabbed a team high 5 rebounds. John Ng grabbed pumped in 10 as well in the starting effort.
A few bright things though for the Malaysians. They held a lead for a little over 18 minutes in the game...they came out to a roaring start behind the arc and finished at a 38% clip (11 3s). I don't know if many fans will remember the name Tan Kim Chin, but he was a deadly sharpshot for the Malaysians in the mid1980s-1990s for Malaysia. While I do not see an individual player here of his shooting caliber, the team has played well as a team. All they have to do is finish 3rd to earn a spot for this summer's Asian championship in Wuhan, and if they shoot from the outside like they did today again, they could very well earn themselves a spot. The game for them that could be the decisive factor will be today versus Singapore, a team the Malaysians will be battling with for third place.
The Philippines take on hosts Indonesia today in the second contest of the evening.
Game 2: Indonesia-Singapore http://www.fibaasia.net/PDFUpload/PDF012011623957.PDF
Indonesia for three quarters had been outplayed by an underdog Singaporean side. But a 23-6 fourth quarter all but destroyed and ended the upset victory right in its' tracks.
In the 71-60 win, Indonesia was led by bench player Ponsianus Indrawan (12 points on 6/7 shooting, team high 10 rebounds and team high 2 blocks) and starter Rony Gunawan (10 points, team high 3 steals). Indonesia had stumbled early, owning only a two point lead at the end of the 1st quarter and was down 3 at the half and 6 at the end of the third. But a 14-2 in the first five minutes in the final frame closed the deal.
Singapore was led by starters Wong Wei Long (11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Pathman Matialakan (11 points, team high 9 rebounds in game high 36 minutes). Off the bench, Wei Oh poured in 10.
The stats show a relatively even game, but a few areas Indonesia was able to come out on top on helped them to victory. 1. The Inside: 38-37 rebounds, 30-14 points in the paint, 13-4 second chance points, 4-0 blocks, all in favor of Indonesia. The paint, as the Philippines and Indonesia have proven, are going to be key in winning games in this tournament and down the line as well. 2. Turnovers: 16 turns for Indonesia compared to 29 for Singapore, including 7 in the final frame. Limiting turnovers is key to any victory, and Singapore gave the game away despite holding a large 28-17 disparity in free throw attempts. 3. Bench: Indonesia outscored Singapore 32-25 off the bench and as the recently crowned NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks showed, a deep bench in key in the long run to a successful side.
Games Tomorrow:
Singapore-Malaysia
Philippines-Indonesia
