Gilas Pilipinas redeemed themselves after their unexpected loss to Cambodia with a dominant 105-45 win over Singapore, securing their place in the semifinals of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games on Saturday (13 May).
The game was held at the Morodok Techno National Stadium in Phnom Penh, and the Filipino squad came into the game with a strong desire to end the group stage on a high note.
Gilas Pilipinas was off to a hot start as they took an early 21-0 lead, and they never looked back.
Sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter led the charge with an impressive 16-point performance, connecting on four of his seven three-point attempts.
CJ Perez also had a solid game, registering 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Justin Brownlee contributed 12 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.
Despite Singapore's valiant efforts, they were simply no match for the dominant play of Gilas Pilipinas.
Ng led the way for the Singaporean side with 10 points, but it was not enough to keep them in the game.
"It was a good game, Singapore obviously tried to give us a fight but we did what we needed to do and now we're looking ahead to the next game," said Brownlee, who struggled with the heat and hydration during their loss to Cambodia.
"It was nothing, just the heat. Something we needed to get over, and as you saw today, it's all good," added the US-born player.
With this crucial victory, Gilas Pilipinas has advanced to the semifinals and will face either Thailand or defending champions Indonesia on Monday (15 May).
Brownlee and his teammates are not worried about their next opponent and are just focused on their preparation.
"They're both good teams, so it really doesn't matter whom we meet. We're just focusing on ourselves, and we've got to be ready. It's going to be a great match for sure," said Brownlee.
