HANOI – Gilas Pilipinas women dominated 2019 SEA Games silver medalists Thailand in their rematch in the 31st Southeast Asian Games, 97-81, at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium here on Wednesday.
And head coach Pat Aquino has all his wards to thank for that wire-to-wire victory with the scoring coming from all areas of the court.
Though veteran Afril Bernardino continued to stand out with a double-double performance of 20 points and 16 rebounds, Aquino said he was happy to see everyone on his rotation involved.
"Afril is Afril, andiyan lagi yan. But the others, they were exceptional. Those who contributed, like sila Trina [Guytingco], sila Gabi [Bade], sila Stefanie Berberabe, sila Chack [Cabinbin], si Khate Castillo. I never mention Khate but, you know, andami [nila]. Like Andrea Tongco, [she had] two 3-pointers pa," Aquino said after the game.
"We're just happy na it's not just one person. It's everybody, everybody contributing and talagang sama-sama sila," he added.
All but one player fielded by Aquino scored at least three points in the game.
And even Camille Clarin, who was unable to score a basket, contributed in her own way with three boards, two assists and a steal.
With back-to-back convincing victories, Gilas Pilipinas women are looking to keep their head down and play their game as they shoot to defend the gold medal.
"Lagi natin sinasabi, take it one game at a time. We're gonna be ready for Vietnam tomorrow," he said.
Gilas takes on the hosts at 5 p.m. (6 p.m., Manila time) just before their male counterparts face off with Vietnam at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. in Manila).