Gilas remains undefeated in the tournament so far.
Gilas Pilipinas bagged their second win in the Asian Games after fending off Thailand, 87-72.
After easily dispatching Bahrain in their first match, Gilas was given a rude awakening by Thailand, which came out of the gates with guns blazing. The SEA Games bronze medalists at one point even led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter.
But Gilas would slowly find their groove as they mounted a 15-0 run to grab the lead from Thailand.
From there on, Gilas would continue to punish Thailand on the defensive end, limiting them to just 13 points in the second quarter and 15 in the third.
Rebounding would also prove to be the key difference as Gilas massively outrebounded Thailand, grabbing 63 boards compared to Thailand's 35.
After going down 68-50 at the end of the third quarter, the Thais mounted an impressive 13-0 run at the start of the fourth to cut the lead to just five points, 68-63.
A couple of reasons for that run were Tyler Lamb and Frederick Lish, who both bounced back from their bad performance versus Jordan. They combined for 51 points and 10 3-pointers in the game.
It wasn't until approximately four minutes had passed in the final canto when Gilas finally ended their scoring drought, courtesy of a basket by Ange Kouame.
Justin Brownlee and Cjay Perez then ensured the national team’s victory after consecutive baskets to restore the lead to double digits.
Brownlee finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals, while Perez added 16 points and 7 rebounds.
Gilas will next face the also-undefeated Jordan squad led by PBA import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson on Saturday.
The winner of that match will take the top spot of Group C.
(GM)