Defending champion Thailand showed its might by dumping Malaysia, 78-64, in Day Two of the 7th Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Women’s Championship at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Thais, who defeated the Philippines for the title in the 2007 edition held in Phuket, Thailand, used their firepower to the hilt.

Naruemol Banmoo came off the bench and finished with a team-high 17 points on an impressive 8-of-11 shooting from the field.

Other relievers like Panurushthanon, Penphan Yothanan and Chirdpetcharat also finished in double figures for Thailand, which gained a share of the lead with the Philippines.

Panurushthanon contributed 15 points while Yothanan and Chirdpetcharat added 10 points apiece as the Thais’ second unit overpowered their counterparts, 56-13, on points off the bench.

The defending champions struggled in the early going as the Malaysians, an 84-60 winner over Indonesia in Day One, raced to a 17-10 lead before settling for a 21-17 spread after the first period.

But then the Thais flexed their muscles, with Banmoo firing 13.

Thailand’s defense also made its presence felt from there as it held five-time champion Malaysia to a measly eight second-quarter points. That allowed the Thais to grab a 39-29 lead at the turn.

There was no stopping the Asian Games-bound Thais from thereon as their shooters started to hit their mark, connecting on 7-of-11 attempts from the three-point region.

The Thais also dominated their rivals in the battle of the boards, 42-31. The reigning champions had an 18-9 advantage on the offensive glass and a 12-4 advantage on second-chance points.

“They are the team to beat. They have a talented team loaded from top to bottom and most of them are veterans of the 2007 champion team," said RP national coach Haydee Ong.

But Ong wants his players to focus on Malaysia, which the Filipinas face in their 4 p.m. encounter Tuesday.

The Philippines, which routed Singapore, 101-34, in its first assignment, will then take on Indonesia Wednesday, before winding up its elimination round campaign against Thailand Thursday.

“They (Malaysians) have tall players and good perimeter players. But they are not that deep in terms of manpower. We plan to pressure them and try to run on every possession," added Ong.

Thailand will next play Indonesia, which kept its bid for a finals seat following a 70-61 win over Singapore in the other game Monday. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV