Hot-starting Perlas rips Singapore
Allana May Lim breaks away for a fastbreak against Jayne Sarah Tan En-Min of Singapore in women’s basketball in the SEA Games. JUN MENDOZA
Game today
8:15 p.m. – Philippines vs Indonesia
KUALA LUMPUR – Perlas Pilipinas picked up from where it left off in its closing game in the recent FIBA Asia Championship and blasted Singapore, 88-54, at the start of the 29th SEA Games women’s basketball tournament at the MABA Gymnasium here last night.
The Filipinas actually played a bit lax in the first half before working on all cylinders to blast the Singaporeans in the second half to the delight of the huge cheering Phl crowd in the venue located in the Chinatown district of the Malaysian capital.
Three-time UAAP MVP winner Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos led their second-half attack that led to a smashing debut in the event where they seek to improve on their fourth-place finish in Singapore.
Bernardino pumped in 10 of his game-high 16 points in the last two quarters while Pontejos scored all of his 13 markers in the same stretch.
“It’s a good start for us,” said Perlas coach Pat Aquino, who, however, expressed his disappointment over the way his wards played the first half.
“There’s a part in the first half where we’re so eager, wanting to finish the game early. At the half, I told my players we have to work for it. We have to be disciplined,” Aquino pointed out.
Responding to Aquino’s call, Perlas battered Singapore, 49-29, in the second half to fashion out the 34-point rout.
In other matches, defending champion Malaysia thumped Vietnam, 88-54, while 2015 runner-up Indonesia routed Myanmar, 94-49.
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