Gilas Pilipinas Men once again needed time to get things going before scoring the victory over Vietnam in SEA Games 2025.
Gilas Pilipinas Men overcame another sluggish start to survive Vietnam, 78-67 in the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand Monday, Dec. 15.
The national team thus gained an outright semifinal berth after sweeping Group A action, 2-0.
Down by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Nationals responded with a 10-0 run to end the first 24 minutes of action at 37-41.
Gilas picked up where it left off after the break, wresting control with a quick 8-1 surge for a 46-42 lead.
It was a nip-and-tuck contest after that, with Robert Bolick nailing two triples and Poy Erram swishing another in the fourth period that gave them a 70-62 buffer inside the final four minutes.
Gilas was never in any danger of losing that advantage from there.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.