THE Gilas Pilipinas got sweet revenge on the hosts Cambodia, as they came away with an 80-69 victory to win the gold medal in the Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball tournament on Tuesday night, May 16, 2023, at the Morodok Techo Stadium.
The Gilas lost to Cambodian team souped up by six naturalized players in the group stage, 79-68. However, the Filipinos came into the gold-medal game prepared and executed their game plan to perfection to lead by 11 at halftime, 44-33.
The Cambodians pulled to within five, 47-52, after a basket by Brandon Peterson, but the battle-tested Gilas did not fold and responded with a run of their own to end the third period with a 13-point bulge, 64-51.
Cambodia once again threatened early in the fourth as they trimmed the Philippines’ lead down to seven, 64-59, with 7:12 remaining in the match. However, CJ Perez and naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee answered with back-to-back triples to stem the tide and keep the Gilas in front until the final buzzer.
The victory competed the Gilas’ quest for redemption after they were ousted from the top spot in the last SEA Games.
Brownlee led the Gilas with 23 points, seven boards, and four assists, while Chris Newsome added 16. Marcio Lassiter punched in 10, even as Brandon Rosser chimed in with nine points and six rebounds. (SunStar Philippines)