By REYNALD MAGALLON
BANGKOK — Kacey Dela Rosa and Sophia Dignadice spearheaded a back-breaking fourth quarter run as the Gilas Pilipinas women’s team pulled the rug from under Malaysia, 76-67, to launch its medal bid in style in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games at Nimibutr Arena on Saturday, Dec. 13 here.
The six-foot Dela Rosa and the 17-year-old Dignadice were at the forefront of a fiery 18-1 finishing kick for the Filipinas who took the early lead in the Group B standings with a 1-0 slate.
Dela Rosa finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds – none bigger than the back-to-back layups that kickstarted the Gilas rally from a 58-66 deficit with six minutes left in the contest.
Dignadice added 11 points – including a pair of free throws and tough floater – that also kept the run going. The daughter of PBA great Yves Dignadice also had five rebounds and five assists while Louna Ozar finished with 13 points and game-high six steals.
Veteran Afril Bernardino struggled with her shooting with a 3-of-15 clip to finish with nine points although she more than made up for it by grabbing 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Trailing for the most part of the contest, Gilas head coach Pat Aquino admitted his charges only needed to shake off the jitters and settle down before finally getting their rhythm in the waning minutes.
“They calmed down, that’s the word. They noticed na pag lumalamang nagkakaroon ng gusto na mahabol agad. One basket lang they want to get it agad. I just told them to slow down,” said Aquino.
The Nationals can sweep the group stage and get an outright semifinals spot when they clash against Singapore on Sunday, Dec. 14 at the same venue.
