Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 21) — The Philippines held off a determined Thailand side to open their South East Asian (SEA) Games gold medal defense with a 81-74 win on Sunday evening at stadium MABA.
Troy Rosario paced the Filipinos with 16 points, while Christian Standhardinger and Bobby Ray Parks Jr. added 15 and 16 markers, respectively.
The Philippines faced stiff opposition from the opposition in the tournament opener.
The Filipinos held a precarious 36-34 advantage during the halftime break
But Thailand snatched the lead from in the third frame, 46-45, through their hot outside shooting.
The Filipinos still managed to cling onto a 60-59 cushion going into the payoff period.
The Thais continued to hound the Philippines, grabbing the 66-64 lead midway through the final quarter.
A tough defensive stance from Parks saw Thai gunner Tyler Lamb hit the bench as he collected his fifth personal foul with 4:47 left to play.
Kiefer Ravena then gifted the Filipinos a 73-71 advantage with 3:57 left in regulation.
Thailand refused to bow down easily, coming within 77-74 in the dying minutes of the game, but a Christian Standhardinger deuce gave the Philippines a 79-74 lead with 47 ticks left to play.
The deficit proved too much for the Thais, as the Philippines came away with a hard-fought victory.
Lamb led Thailand with a game-high 17 points.
The Philippines will continue their SEA Games campaign against Myanmar on Tuesday evening.
