SMART-Gilas toys with Indonesia for 2nd straight SEABA victory

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The SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national squad had another easy outing on Thursday, dispatching Indonesia, 80-52, to cruise to its second straight victory in the SEABA qualifying tournament for the FIBA Asia Cup in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Alaska Aces forward Mac Baracael, a veteran international campaigner, paced the team with 15 points, while ex-San Beda sharpshooter Garvo Lanete chipped in 14. Naturalized American reinforcement Marcus Douthit added 13 points and seven rebounds for SMART-Gilas, which ended the first quarter with a 21-8 lead and didn’t look back since.

No player logged more than 25 minutes for the Philippine side, which dominated the shaded lane, 38-22, and ran the Indonesians off the court with a 14-2 fastbreak advantage.

SMART-Gilas takes on Malaysia on Friday before wrapping up its campaign against Thailand on Saturday.

Only the winner gets a ticket to the FIBA Asia Cup, formerly known as the Stankovic Cup, which is set in Tokyo, Japan in September.

The scores:

Philippines 80 – Baracael 15, Lanete 14, Douthit 13, Tiu 13, Marcelo 11, Thoss 8, Ramos 2, Monfort 2, Co 2, Hermida 0, Tenorio 0

Indonesia 52 – Ahmad 13, Setepu 13, Siregar 8, Wisnu 7, Susanto 4, Liogu 3, Handoyo 2, Michel 2, Gunawan 0.

Quarters: 21-8, 41-25, 59-37, 80-52

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