Careline-Pilipinas bowed to Thailand, 87-77, in a game marred by
a controversial decision by the organizers of the ASEAN School Games
allowing the Thais to play despite wearing a wrong uniform Saturday
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Thais, who will meet the Malaysians in the finals
for the gold medal, arrived at the gymnasium with a wrong uniform,
prompting Careline-Pilipinas officials to call the attention of
tournament officials.
But instead of heeding the protest and disqualifying
the Thais from playing, league officials lent Malaysian uniforms
to the Thais and allowed them to play.
Disappointed, the RP team, backed by Ever Bilena
and former PBL chairman Dioceldo Sy, filed a protest, but tournament
officials defended their move, saying they did not violate any rules.
Led by Danica Jose and Tere Aseron, who combined
for 41 points, 16 rebounds and four assists, the Nationals rallied
from a 30-point deficit (73-43) in the third period, cutting the
lead to as low as seven but didn’t have enough gas to complete the
comeback.
Kitkat Nitorreda scored 17 points while Elrica Castro
made 12 points and dished out eight assists for the Nationals, who
failed to sustain their strong start after leading 20-14 in the
first quarter.