IT was as merciless a drubbing as any basketball game could get. The Philippine team eager to prove its worth before a hometown crowd mauled Myanmar by 107 points, 147-40, in the first game of the Southeast Asia Basketball Association tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Friday, May 12.
Embodying that unforgiving stance against an overmatched Myanmar was Alaska Aces forward Calvin Abueva.
Abueva was part of a platoon substitution and took the floor along with Troy Rosario, Terrence Romeo, Japeth Aguilar and Matthew Wright with 2:34 to go in the first period.
The man they call The Beast immediately made his presence felt by blocking the layup attempt of Myanmar’s Tin Min Mon. With 46 seconds to go in the quarter Abueva issued an assist to teammate Rosario who scored.
With 25 seconds to go in the period Abueva barreled into the paint to convert a fastbreak layup attempt and drew a foul. He then canned the bonus free throw to push Gilas to a 32-7 lead after the first period.
In the second quarter Abueva received a long outlet pass from Romeo then converted a fastbreak layup to hike the Philippine lead, 36-7, with 9:00 to go in the quarter. He received another assist from Romeo to score on a layup to extend the Gilas lead to 40-7 with 8:15 left to play.
At the 7:50 mark of the period Abueva issued an assist to Aguilar who converted a layup, to push the score to 42-7 for Gilas. Less than two minutes later Abueva would score another layup to push the count to 46-9 with 6:20 to go at the half.
Abueva was his usual belligerent self at the defensive end as he also stole the ball twice during his first stint on the floor.
The Alaska forward returned to action late in the third period. He was ferocious at both ends of the floor as he helped the nationals post an insurmountable 110-29 advantage after three quarters.
Abueva showcased his entire offensive arsenal as he also drilled a three-pointer from the deep right corner to push Gilas to a 122-35 lead with 7:47 to go in the game. He then scored on a layup to extend his team’s lead to 124-35 before leaving the game for good with 7:19 left to play.
Abueva virtually bullied the Myanmar squad by scoring 18 of his team-high 22 points inside the paint.
Abueva finished with 22 points, six rebounds, five steals, four assists and one block in just 16 minutes of playing time to earn Player of the Game honors.
“Kung ano sinabi ni coach iyon lang ang ginagawa namin. Seryoso ako mula sa practice. Sabi nila overkill, pero nandito tayo sa Pilipinas. Kailangan do our best. Kailangan suportahan talaga natin. Sama sama tayo sisigaw ng puso,” Abueva said.
Like Abueva, Gilas was devastating at the offensive end and outscored Myanmar by 107 points after issuing 45 assists compared to only eight by Myanmar.
The nationals were just as merciless at the defensive end. They had 11 blocks compared to just one by Myanmar and had 25 steals compared to only four by Myanmar. The Philippines also outrebounded Myanmar 58-32.
The Philippine team showed no mercy at the defensive end. Myanmar was forced to commit 38 turnovers compared to only 10 by the Philippines. The Philippines then outscored Myanmar 54-4 in points from turnovers.