BANGKOK—Defending champion Gilas Pilipinas narrowly escaped a late-game scare from Indonesia to secure a hard-fought 71-68 victory in the men’s basketball semifinal on Thursday at the Nimibutr Stadium, earning a spot in the gold-medal match.
The nationals built a commanding 16-point lead (70-54) with under four minutes left in the game, only to see the Indonesians stage a fierce rally that threatened the team’s bid for a repeat title.
Gilas coach Norman Black acknowledged the close call but focused on the result.
“A win is a win. We’re happy with it. We got a chance to move on to the finals,” Black said. “We have to give credit to the other team. They didn’t give up. They kept fighting.”
The late-game drama intensified after Abraham Damar Gramita sank two free throws, cutting the lead to just two points, 70-68, with 22.1 seconds remaining.
However, the Philippine five forced Senegalese-Indonesian big man Dame Diagne to commit a shot clock violation on the next possession.
Team captain Robert Bolick then split his two foul shots, setting the final score with 7.3 ticks left on the clock. Indonesia’s final three-point attempt at the buzzer was missed, sealing the win for Gilas.
Black admitted that the final minutes were messy for his squad. “We did make some knucklehead moves down the stretch as far as decision making is concerned. But we have to be there and we have to win and get to the finals,” he added.
Thirdy Ravena led the scoring for Gilas with 16 points, along with six rebounds and two assists, followed by Jamie Malonzo with 13 points and three boards. Ray Parks, who was ejected late in the game for a flagrant foul, and Bolick contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
The Filipino cagers had to claw their way back after trailing 15-27 in the first quarter, eventually closing the gap to 33-34 by halftime. Derrick Xzavierro led Indonesia with a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Diagne and Gramita each added 13 points.
Gilas will now face the winner of the host Thailand and Malaysia semifinal match in the one-game final scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. (local time) at the same venue.
