MANILA (Philippines) - Thailand started their SEA Games 2019 Basketball campaigns on a high note for both the Men’s and Women’s teams with wins over fierce rivals Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively. Meanwhile, the Men’s teams of Vietnam and hosts Philippines also won in their opening matches.

The action started early in the day with Vietnam defeating Myanmar, 131-52, for what is believed to be the country’s biggest win in the competition to date. Vietnam jumped out to an eye-popping 40-8 first quarter and ran the rest of the way to the convincing victory.

Brother Dinh Thanh Tam and Dinh Thanh Sang combined for 36 points, with the elder Tam leading the team for 24 points on 8-11 shooting from the field.

The marquee matchup of the day was between Thailand and Indonesia, fierce rivals in the region. Indonesia has dominated the recent matchups between the two teams with 5 straight single-digits victories over the past two years in various major competitions.

Thailand started the game determined to end the streak by doubling the score 34-17 at the end of the first quarter. They held the lead up above a double-digit gap for the rest of the way to successfully claim revenge, 98-76.

Star scorer Tyler Lamb shined with 16 points and 5 rebounds, but impressed fans with his swift hands to finish with 8 steals in the game. Thailand’s leading scorer at FIBA Asia Cup 2013, Wattana Suttisin, also made a stand out comeback to national team duties with 18 points on 50.0 percent shooting.

Kaleb Ramot Gemilang tried to keep Indonesia in the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals but it wasn’t enough with Indonesia shooting only 35.9 percent throughout the entire game.

Thailand basketball later claimed their second win of the day with a big victory for the Women’s team over defending SEA Games gold medalists Malaysia, 70-47. The Thais led from start to finish in a game where both teams struggled from the floor.

Thailand shot only 32 percent from the field, while Malaysia shot only 17-77 for a cold 22 percent.

Tiffany Bias had a splendid national team debut for Thailand, en route to the triumphant win. The 27-year-old former WNBA champion nearly had a triple-double with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals. It was not a single-player effort for Thailand as Rattiyakorn Udomsuk also stepped up from the bench with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

The hosts wrapped up the scene by handling Singapore in front of a rowdy crowd at Mall of Asia. The 12-time SEA Games Men’s Basketball gold medalists eventually beat Singapore 110-58.

The Philippines commanded a 30-13 lead with Stanley Pringle scoring 11 points in the first quarter alone. Coach Tim Cone’s squad cruised on the rest of the way until the final buzzer.

Everyone got on the scoreboard for the Philippines except for Chris Ross, who settled for a distributor role with 10 assists instead. Five players scored in double-digits for the Philippines led by Troy Rosario's 15 points.

FIBA