DEFENDING champion Gilas Pilipinas men's 3x3 posted a 2-1 win-loss record in the opening action of the 31t Southeast Asian Games Friday at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium in Vietnam.
Represented by PBA 3x3 First Conference titlist Limitless Appmasters, the Gilas half-court aces started the day with an emphatic 19-7 rout of lightweight Cambodia.
Brandon Ganuelas Rosser banged in eight points while Marvin Hayes added six as the Filipinos threw their weight around the Cambodians in a late morning matchup that saw them break away to 15-4 after scoring nine unanswered points.
Three hours later, Rosser, Hayes, Jorey Napoles and Reymar Caduyac returned to the floor and grinded out a come-from-behind 21-16 verdict over Thailand.
Gilas 3x3 trailed early 12-7 and even faced an 11-14 deficit at the halfway mark before Caduyac and Rosser spearheaded a searing 10-2 windup to win by five.
Sponsored content:The Pinoy ballers, however, fell short in mounting another successful fightback in the last game of the men's division in Day 1, bowing to Indonesia, 13-15.
Down 11-14, Gilas 3x3 closed in on the Indonesians with back-to-back baskets from Rosser and Napoles and had a chance to draw level or even take the lead when Indonesia missed a layup attempt.
However, Hayes was called for a travelling violation, surrendering possession back to their opponents with 17 ticks to go.
With Gilas 3x3's 2-of-3 performance, host Vietnam grabbed the lead at the end of the Friday the 13th hostilities with an immaculate 4-0 card.
The preliminaries continue Saturday with the Philippines set to battle Singapore, Malaysia and the Vietnamese.
The Top 4 teams at the end of the single round robin elims will advance to the semifinals. (OL)(PBA)
(Photo credits to PBA)