MANILA (Philippines) - Vietnam and Thailand claim their second straight victories in men’s basketball of the SEA Games 2019, putting themselves in good positions to advance toward the Semi-finals. The men’s basketball team of Indonesia rebounded for an important win over Malaysia, but the women’s squad could not get past hosts Philippines.

Thailand took the chance to rest stars Tyler Lamb (DNP) and Chanatip Jakrawan (5 minutes played), but that didn’t stop them from getting a comfortable win over Cambodia. Six players scored at least 8 points for Thailand who now command a 2-0 record to top Group B.

Chatpol Chungyampin led the way for Thailand with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

Cambodia was able to cut down the lead to only 9 points with 2 minutes left in the game but couldn’t get any closer. Joseph Hoeup had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals in his national team debut.

Vietnam also continues to build momentum and secures a big time win over Singapore, 99-78. Their eyes have been set on a podium finish from the start and with two wins, they are in a good spot to at least move forward to the Semi-finals.

Chris Dierker dominated for Vietnam with 20 points, 15 boards, and 4 assists while frontcourt buddie Justin Young led the team in scoring with 21 points. Vietnam was red-hot from downtown at 52.0 percent, a huge factor resulting in their 21-point win.

Wong Wei Long flirted with a triple-double for 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists for Singapore in the loss.

The Philippines treated their home town fans with another win, this time as the women’s team beat Indonesia, 63-58.

Indonesia even held the lead 34-31 at halftime, led by their top scorer Yuni Anggraeni who finished the game with 16 points.

However, a 6-0 run later in the third reclaimed the lead for the Philippines before another 6-0 burst gave them a comfortable lead all the way to the final buzzer. While Janine Pontejos led Gilas Women’s in scoring with 16 points, Jack Animam impacted the game in other areas. Along with her efficient 9 points, Animam also recorded 12 points, 2 steals, and 4 blocks.

Indonesia had more success in men’s basketball, where they shot a blistering 55.1 percent from the field to torch Malaysia 101-92.

Abraham Damar Grahita (25 points) and Andakara Prastawa (24 points) led the charge for Indonesia who had a total of 4 players put up at least 14 points. Both Grahita and Prastawa knocked down 3 three-pointers, helping Indonesia go for 48.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Malaysia had a balanced attack with 5 players in double-digit scoring led by Ting Chun Hong’s 17 points. They continuously threatened to close the gap, but could never quite get over the hump.

FIBA