Gilas bucks slow start, pummels Malaysia to kick off SEA Games title defense

Already have Rappler+?

Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism.

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors.

For context, always refer to the full article.

GUNNERS.

Ray Parks (right) and Jamie Malonzo in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

MANILA, Philippines – Defending champion Gilas Pilipinas recovered from a slow start to extinguish Malaysia, 83-58, in its 2025 Southeast Asian Games opener at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday, December 14. Ra

y Parks showed the way with 18 points, half of which came in a blistering 20-0 run to end the first half that paved the way for the Philippines to improve to 1-0 in Group A. Ro

bert Bolick backstopped Parks with 17 points, while Thirdy Ravena added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the hastily-assembled squad that underwent multiple lineup revisions due to the hosts’ flip-flopping on eligibility rules. Gila

s trailed by as many as 7 points in the opening quarter, 15-22, but flipped the switch in the second period, where it outscored Malaysia 26-4 to take a 42-26 lead at halftime. That