Gilas crush Singapore for 3rd win in SEABA c'ship

Pilipinas-Smart Gilas cruised to a 106-51 win over Singapore to sweep their elimination round assignments in the 9th SEABA men's championship Saturday at the BritAma Arena Sports Mall in Jakarta, Indonesia. Gilas held Singapore to nine first quarter points while poured in 30 each in the first 20 minutes of play to enjoy a 60-23 bubble at the turn and was never seriously threatened after that. The Rajko Toroman-mentored squad booked their third straight win in the annual tournament, which is a qualifying leg for the 26th FIBA-Asia Championship this September in China. Wuhan, the capital of Hebei province in China, will host the FIBA-Asia Championship — a 2012 London Olympic qualifier — from September 15-25. Mark Barroca and Japeth Aguilar scored 18 points each to lead Gilas' balanced scoring, with four other players turning in 11 markers or more. Barroca also had five assists and three steals while Aguilar, one of Gilas' towering presence inside the paint, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked three shots. Mac Baracael and Dylan Ababou added 17 and 14 points apiece, while team captain Chris Tiu and Filipino-American guard Chris Lutz chipped in 11 markers each. Former San Sebastian Stag Jason Ballesteros, a 6-foot-8 big man, only scored four points but grabbed 16 rebounds with 11 coming at the defensive end. Wei Long Wong, who shot 5-of-10 from three-point range, tallied 20 points to pace Singapore's losing cause. Sheng Yu Lim was the other double-digit scorer with 10. The Philippines opened the tournament with a 97-71 dumping of Malaysia, then scored a 94-54 crushing of Indonesia the following day. — Jon Perez, GMA News