Boxscore

INCHEON (FIBA Asia Championship for Women) - Thailand staved off Malaysia's remarkable rally to post their maiden victory in Level I on Wednesday. Coming against their South East Asian archrivals, Thailand will now have to play the second finishing team in Level II in the play-offs.

Malaysia took to the court without regular forward Kew Suik May, who suffered an injury to her left ankle during Tuesday's encounter against Korea.

"We couldn't settle down quickly without her," Malaysian coach Tan See Wah said. "We surrendered a big lead early in the game, from which we just couldn't recover," he added.

Malaysia did attempt to bridge the gap, but having let Thailand race ahead 21-9 in the first quarter, they had to be content catching up all the time.

Thailand coach Kim Jae Wong expressed satisfaction about the win. "More than the win, I'm really happy the way my girls held their own during pressure," he said.

Scores
Thailand 75 (Roong-Aroon 21, Charoenrat Nantana 21, Nomjit Tunsaw 12, Chirdpetcharat Chonticha 11) bt Malaysia 74 (Chow Siao Foong 25, Goh Beng Fong 11). (Quarterwise: 21-9, 37-28, 54-53)

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia