KUALA LUMPUR: The national men's basketball team's hopes of a Sea Games medal suffered a blow when they were whipped 92-45 by Thailand in Hanoi today.
Malaysia have not finished among the medals since a bronze medal at the 2007 Korat Games.
And they were given a dose of the harsh reality of just how far they have fallen behind their regional rivals after a humbling at the hands of Thailand at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium,
Having started their campaign with a rousing comeback only to fall short in a 95-92 defeat in overtime to Indonesia on Monday, Malaysia had hoped to spring a surprise on Thailand as well.
But the Thais, who are reigning silver medallists, enforced by four naturalised Americans, were never really troubled as they surged into a 41-21 halftime lead.
Malaysia's woeful shooting continued after the break and they eventually succumbed to a 47-point defeat.
The Thais were led by Chanatip Jakrawan, who bagged 16 points, while Moses Morgan had a productive day with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
None of the Malaysian cagers got into double-digit scoring, although Ting Chun Hong and Lee Jia Jun were the most productive of the lot with eight points apiece.
Malaysia, who now have two defeats, are almost out of the running for a medal in the seven-team round-robin competition.
They face Cambodia today, but they still have daunting matches against defending champions the Philippines and reigning bronze medallists Vietnam to come.
