Gilas sits out Blatche but still mauls Vietnam

Coach Chot Reyes decided to go all-Filipino on Wednesday night, giving Andray Blatche the night off and even shuffling his starting five although keeping Junemar Fajardo as the slotman. (Photo: Andray Blatche/ Facebook)

MANILA–Coach Chot Reyes decided to go all-Filipino on Wednesday night, giving Andray Blatche the night off and even shuffling his starting five although keeping Junemar Fajardo as the slotman.

No problem!

Gilas extended its domination in the SEABA Men’s Championship, blasting Vietnam, 107-52, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In a game where Reyes opted to field in Terrence Romeo, Calvin Abueva, Troy Rosario, and Matt Wright in place of Blatche, Jayson Castro, Allein Maliksi, and RR Pogoy, Gilas used an 14-0 run midway through the first quarter to break away for good.

Wright finished with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc with two rebounds and one assist for Gilas, which will face Indonesia on Thursday for all the marbles plus the lone ASEAN zone spot in the FIBA Asia Cup and the FIBA World Cup Qualifier.

Raymond Almazan, on the other hand, went 7-of-7 from the field for 16 points.

Nguyen Thanh Nhan led Vietnam with 11 markers, two caroms, and one assist.