Pinay cagebelles give Malaysians big scare

SINGAPORE – The Philippines gave defending champion Malaysia a big scare before dropping a close 63-65 decision in the opener of the fifth Women’s Southeast Asian Basketball (SEABA) Championships on Monday night at the Toah Payoh Indoor Sports Hall in Singapore.

With veteran point guard Emelia Verga orchestrating a sleek running game that had Susan Bambico and Cherlyn Lubiano shining on offense, the RP squad stayed within striking distance of the Malaysians all throughout.

A fastbreak basket by Verga moved the Filipinas close to within one point, 49-50, in the third quarter.

But what made it a big struggle for the Philippines was the apparent biased officiating, particularly by the Thai referee who blew the whistle on the Filipina cagers at the slightest contact. The result: 23 fouls on RP team compared to Malaysia’s seven.

The big disparity in foul calls gave the Malaysians a total of 26 points out of 31 attempts from the free throw line. The RP ladies made 10-of-15 charities.

"It was an exciting contest. The girls fought their heart out and showed they can be a force to contend with in the region. It would have been a different story if not for the questionable calls against us by one (Thai) of the referees," said Cristy Ramos, head of the RP delegation sent here by the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP).

A couple of missed attempts and bad calls by the Thai official prevented the RP team from making headway, allowing the Malaysians to narrowly escape with their first win in this tournament that offers two slots to the Asian Basketball Championships slated next year.

The Philippines, which finished third behind Malaysia and Thailand the last time the tournament was held in Kuala Lumpur in 2002, next faces Vietnam.

The other participating teams are Thailand and Singapore, which is backstopped by six Chinese naturalized players.