Gilas bludgeons Malaysia to start 'gold-or-bust' SEA Games mission

MANILA, Philippines – The Gilas Pilipinas men's team met little resistance from an overmatched Malaysia squad, waltzing to a 94-49 victory to strongly begin their redemption bid in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games at the Morodok Techo National Stadium Elephant Hall 2 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tuesday.

All but one Gilas player scored in the Philippines' first Group A assignment, a game where the heavily favored Filipino squad led by 36 points, 58-22, after the first two periods.    

Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser led all Gilas scorers with 15 points, followed by Justin Brownlee with 11 in the lopsided match that should be a huge confidence-booster for a Philippine side hell-bent on reclaiming the gold medal.

Michael Phillips showcased an energetic outing for the Nationals with a game-high 15 rebounds, seven of which came from the offensive end, to go with nine markers.

Yi Hou Wong top-scored for Malaysia with 15 points.

The Filipinos will face the true acid test Thursday against their counterparts from the host country, a squad that boasts a handful of American-born naturalized players.

Gilas will wrap up its group assignments on May 13 against Singapore.

The Philippines is on a mission to regain the basketball throne it lost in 2021, when it finished only second to Indonesia in the last edition of the biennial meet in Vietnam.