Thailand capped their 2017 SEABA Championship for Men campaign with a podium finish as they snagged the bronze medal at the expense of Singapore, 67-57, Wednesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Thailand, who are now winners of three bronze medals in the regional cagefest, ended their stint in the regional cagefest with a 3-2 record. The Singaporeans, on the other hand, dropped to 1-4.
Top gunner Chitchai Ananti bounced back from a scoreless outing against Gilas last Tuesday to lead Thailand with 17 points on 60 percent shooting. Kannut Samerjai finished with 15 markers, while Patiphan Klahan posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Thais suddenly turned their narrow, 38-34 advantage at the half to as wide as 14 points, 50-36, through a 12-2 scoring spree finished by Samerjai’s lay-up with 5:50 left in the third frame.
Singapore closed within distance, 59-54, after a Hanbin Ng trey early in the payoff period, but Thailand’s 8-2 spree capped by Klahan’s layup lifted them back by 11, 67-56, with 5:12 to play.
Thailand then kept their counterparts checked up until the final buzzer to secure the victory and the third place.
Larry Liew paced Singapore with 17 markers on 15 shots. The frontcourt duo of Ng and Delvin Goh each chipped in 10 markers and combined for 23 caroms — the majority of the team’s 39 boards.
Thailand shot 48 percent from the floor, but had more turnovers, 16-14. However, they took advantage of Singapore’s 14 errors better, turning it to 13 points. The Singaporeans though had more second chance points, 15-7.
Singapore will look to end their campaign on a winning note against Vietnam tomorrow, Thursday, May 18, at 5:00 PM.
The Scores:
Thailand (67) – Ananti 17, Samerjai 15, Klahan P 10, Muangboon 8, Jaisanuk 5, Chanthachon 4, Klahan C 3, Sunthonsiri 3, Ghogar 2.
Singapore (57) – Liew 17, Goh 10, Ng H 10, Wong 6, Cheok 4, Kwek 4, Raj 4, Chia 2, Lim 0, Ng J 0.
Quarterscores: 22-16, 38-34, 59-51, 67-57.
