RP cagebelles dump Malaysia, close in on SEABA finals berth

Host Philippines banked on a sizzling second half to run roughshod over Malaysia, 59-39, for its second win in the 7th SEABA Women Championship Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. Six-foot Cassandra Tioseco flexed her muscles inside the shaded lane, finishing with 15 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a solid all-around performance for the Filipinas. Fil-Am Melissa Jacob also contributed 15 points, including three triples at the start of the fourth period that practically took the fight out of the Malaysians. The win was the Nationals’ second straight while the Malaysians dropped to a 1-2 record. The Malaysians are already out of the running for a championship berth in this five-nation cast. The Nationals seek a 3-0 record Wednesday against Indonesia. A win will formally give them a finals berth and a much-awaited showdown with defending champion Thailand. The reigning titlists clobbered Indonesia, 118-50, in the other game. “We can’t be complacent with this win. We still have to keep on fighting against Indonesia, so we can keep the momentum going into our big game with Thailand this Thursday," said RP coach Haydee Ong. The Nationals led from start to finish, but could only break the game wide open in the second half. They only led by a small margin, 20-18, at halftime. “We relaxed on our defense. That is why, during the halftime break, I only had one instruction, which is to work harder on defense. We also got lucky that our shots went in," added Ong. The Nationals responded to the coach’s call. They held the Malaysians to only 21 second-half points, including only seven in the fourth period. With half of the job done, Tioseco made her presence felt in offense as she dropped eight of her 13 points for the Nationals to grab their first sizable lead at 40-32. Jacob joined in the scoring fray, hitting three consecutive treys as the Filipinas pulled away, 49-32. “Those three triples took away the confidence of the Malaysians," added Ong. - RCJ, GMANews.TV