The Thai and Indonesian squads, who are tied in third place with three points, will be battling it out in order to qualify for the Asian Champion-ship in Japan, as only the top two teams from the current tournament go through to the finals.

Thailand, who lost to Malaysia in their previous round-robin match, must beat Indonesia by at least a six-point margin to keep their hopes alive.

Meanwhile, K Satyaseelan scored 20 points to spark Malaysia to an 87-59 victory over Singapore in their third game yesterday.

The Malaysians, with their fast breaks and accurate three-point shooting, proved too strong for their opponents. Malaysia are now second with five points from two wins and one loss, while Singapore remain winless.

The Philippines lived up to their billing as the top-ranked team by trouncing Indonesia 85-48 in their second game, keeping their unbeaten record intact.

With only two minutes left in the final quarter, the top seeds staged such an effective fast break and dominated so effectively that the hapless Indonesians were unable to escape their own half of the court.

The triumphant Filipinos top the standings with six points, while the Indonesians have three points from one win and one loss.

Thailand had a rest day yesterday.

Somporn Suphop

The Nation

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