Indonesia pulls away late against Malaysia to join next foe Thailand atop SEABA standings

INDONESIA turned it on when it mattered as it cruised past Malaysia, 63-42, to notch its second straight win in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championship on Saturday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Indonesians saw the Malaysians put up a worthy challenge in the middle quarters, before pulling away in the final frame where they outscored their victims, 19-5.

Damar Grahita fired 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting along with three boards, and three steals to lead the Indonesians, who joined Thailand with two wins.

Malaysia dropped a second straight assignment after losing to the Thais on opening day.

For a while, though the Malaysians gave the Indonesians all they could handle, scoring 10 unanswered points in a stretch in the third quarter where they nudged to within five points, 37-42, before Indonesia restored order.