Gilas overcomes another slow start to reach SEA Games semis

CHONBURI, Thailand – Gilas Pilipinas completed another come-from-behind victory to earn an outright spot in the semifinals of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

Seeking a 20th men’s basketball gold medal in the regional showdown, the Philippines moved within two wins of that goal after turning back Vietnam, 78-67, at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok on Monday, December 15.

Robert Bolick poured 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and added 6 rebounds and 4 assists as the defending champions fought back from a 37-41 halftime deficit to sweep Group A and advance directly to the final four.

It was a similar comeback win for Gilas after it climbed out of a first-quarter hole in its 83-58 drubbing of Malaysia the day prior.

Those slow starts, though, have become a cause of concern for head coach Norman Black, especially with the medal rounds coming up.

“Every game is a concern for us at this point. I think you know our situation so we’re basically learning and trying to improve on the basketball court in the tournament,” said Black.

The Philippines trailed by as many as 14 points, 24-38, before it chipped away at its deficit and took a 61-60 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Led by Bolick, the Filipinos broke away as they put the shackles on the Vietnamese, who were limited to just 7 points in the fourth quarter.

Poy Erram topscored in the win with 15 points to go with 5 rebounds, Matthew Wright supplied 14 points, while Jamie Malonzo added a near-double-double of 10 points and 8 rebounds.

Huynh Phu Vinh Nguyen and Dang Khoa Tran had 19 points apiece in the loss that dropped Vietnam to 0-2.

“It was a hard-earned win. It was a very difficult game for us. Give credit to the Vietnam team for playing as well as they did,” said Black. “We struggled defensively again today, so it is something we have to try to fix the next couple of days in practice.”

Having barely any practice together as their lineup underwent multiple versions due to the hosts’ flip-flopping on eligibility rules, the Filipinos will be getting ample time to work on their cohesion as they play in the semifinals on Thursday, December 18, at the same venue.

Gilas will face the quarterfinal winner between Vietnam and the Group B second placer.

“I’m just looking forward to the next couple of days because we get a chance to practice and we can work on some of the things that we’ve been struggling with here so far,” said Black. – Rappler.com