By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Gilas Pilipinas men’s national basketball team overcame a slow first half and banked on the prowess of superstar June Mar Fajardo to take down Vietnam, 88-60, in the ongoing 2022 Southeast Asian Games.
For the third-straight time in the prestigious tournament, PBA’s six-time Most Valuable Player took over and finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead all Filipino scorers.
The Vietnamese team rolled early in the game and sank several three-pointers against Gilas’ 2-3 zone to help them gain the first quarter advantage.
Their hot-shooting from downtown continued in the second quarter but Fajardo and the rest of the guys began to pick their pace up and regained the lead to avoid any collapse.
Aside from Fajardo’s steady presence in the shaded area, Gilas head coach Chot Reyes adjusted his plan and deployed a much more athletic lineup.
The insertion of LeBron Lopez, William Navarro, and Thirdy Ravena helped Gilas defend the lanky stretch forwards of Vietnam and sparked the national team to a dominating performance for the rest of the game.
Lopez, the teen sensation from the Ateneo Blue Eagles, shot excellently from the field and contributed 12 points in just 14 minutes of playing time.
It was all Gilas in the second half as they employed their quick help defense every time Vietnam attempted to shoot from the outside.
Kiefer Ravena and Troy Rosario also came up big when Gilas mounted their huge offensive run in the third canto as they ran the floor for points off their registered steals.
“Credit to Team Vietnam. They came up with a great game plan. They really challenged us. It had to take our best to pull off this victory. I thought the players were able to make key adjustments specifically defensively,” said Gilas head coach Reyes.
