THAILAND shrugged off an early challenge by Malaysia before reinforcing its tag as another contender in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championship with a 74-67 victory on Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The Thais went down by 12 points early in the second quarter, but outscored the upset-conscious Malaysians in the third period, 19-8, to turn the game around.
Chitchai Ananti led the Thais with 24 points built around 14-of-17 free-throw conversions, along with eight boards, and three assists before going out with a leg injury following a collision with an opponent late in the game.
Nattakam Muangboon added 12 points, including a jumper that tied their biggest lead at 12, and seven boards for the Thais, who joined Indonesia in the win column.
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