Gilas Pilipinas men's 3x3 proved the Philippines, be it five-on-five or three-a-side, is the undisputed basketball kings of the Southeast Asian Games.
Living up to their top billing, the Gilas crew of San Miguel's Mo Tautuaa, Meralco's Chris Newsome, Phoenix's Jason Perkins and Columbian's CJ Perez dished out their A-games and went through the two-day tournament undefeated en route to topping the inaugural staging of 3x3 basketball in the biennial meet.
With the coveted gold on the line, the all-pro squad put its game face on and bamboozled past hapless Indonesia in just over seven minutes of play, 21-9, to the delight of the home crowd at Filoil Flying V Center.
CJ Perez was the a beast in the title-clincher, outscornig the entire Indon crew with his 10-point performance, his four baskets opening the finale sparking Gilas' early breakaway and an 18-6 tear.
Newsome and Perkins added four apiece and Tautuaa scored three markers, knocking down the twinner that iced it and triggered wild celebration for Pinoy hoops fans in the arena.
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Coach Ronnie Magsanoc lauded his four-man crew for working in unison to extend the Philippines' reign in the newly-calendared 3x3 play.
"They're the ones who developed their cohesion and chemistry. I saw in them their commitment and willingness to play for the country," said the soft-spoken coach who's had a few weeks of solid training for this campaign.
GIlas men's romp completed a sweep of the 3x3 events for the Philippines as the Gilas belles earlier picked up the tiara via a 17-13 edging of Thailand.
Magsanoc's charges, who were all-business all tournament long with elims Ws over Malaysia (21-13), Cambodia (21-6), Indonesia (21-17), Myanmar (21-10), and Vietnam (21-15), and a semis rout of Thailand (21-10), served up a great appetizer for Gilas Pilipinas' 5-on-5 squad.
Coached by Tim Cone and composed of PBA stalwarts led by five-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, the Gilas five will kick off its title-retention bid on Dec. 4 against Singapore at MOA Arena.(OL)
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