RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s U-18 men’s basketball team saw their hopes of reaching the FIBA U-18 Asia Cup 2026 dashed after falling 50-68 to hosts Thailand in the SEABA qualifying semifinal at Chan Ka Pho Gymnasium, Krabi, on Saturday, June 13.

The defeat means Indonesia will miss out on the final round in Ahmedabad, India, scheduled for August 13-23, as only the two finalists from the SEABA qualifiers advance.

The result was a bitter setback for coach Ismael’s squad, who had opened Group B with back-to-back wins--an emphatic 89-35 victory over Laos followed by a 65-55 triumph against Malaysia. Indonesia will now face Malaysia again in Sunday’s third-place playoff.

Against Thailand, the Garuda Muda struggled to cope with the hosts’ bigger and faster players. Indonesia trailed narrowly 14-15 after the first quarter, but Thailand tightened their grip in the second, dominating the paint and perimeter to extend the lead to 32-22, Antara reported.

By the third quarter, Indonesia’s scoring leader Jaya James Bayuntara found himself stifled by Thailand’s defense, and the gap widened to 33-50. The margin never dipped below double digits in the final quarter, as Thailand closed out the game 68-50.

Thailand forward Ronnie Allsopp led all scorers with 16 points, one rebound, and two assists. Indonesia captain Steven Sebastian stood out with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds, plus one assist. ***