Gilas Pilipinas squandered a lead as high as 16 points before escaping with a 71-68 victory over Indonesia in the semifinals round of the 33rd Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball on Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ahead 68-52 with over five minutes left, Gilas Pilipinas played loosely offensively and defensively, allowing Indonesia to claw their way back to within two points at 68-70 with 22 seconds left.
Robert Bolick Jr. then managed just a split free throw to increase Gilas Pilipinas’ advantage to 71-68 with 8.1 seconds left, but a final defensive stop sealed the win for the national squad.
Aside from Bolick, Gilas head coach Norman Black also drew strength from Jamie Malonzo, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III and John Paul Erram as they claw back from an early 12-point deficit.
Gilas Pilipinas will next face either host Thailand or Malaysia on Friday for a chance to defend their gold medal. (AC)
