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Philippines down Cambodia in grudge final to reclaim basketball gold

2023-05-16 20:18
The Philippines avenged the disappointment of an opening-game defeat and reasserted their Southeast Asian Games dominance beating hosts Cambodia on Tuesday...
Philippines down Cambodia in grudge final to reclaim basketball gold

The Philippines avenged the disappointment of an opening-game defeat and reasserted their Southeast Asian Games dominance beating hosts Cambodia on Tuesday to clinch men's basketball gold.

They beat Cambodia 80-69 in a pressure-cooker final in Phnom Penh, with 23 points from star man Justin Brownlee.

Coach Chot Reyes hoped the public pressure on him might ease in the basketball-mad Philippines, which prizes its traditional SEA Games dominance.

"At least we get a reprieve from the people," he told reporters courtside.

The Philippines arrived in Cambodia aiming to take revenge on Indonesia, whose surprise win in the final at the 2021 Hanoi Games -– played in 2022 because of the Covid pandemic -– ended their 20-year golden streak.

However, it was Cambodia who emerged as their toughest foes this time, beating them in the group stage with a new-look squad controversially composed by coach Harry Savaya of mostly naturalised players.

While many teams have used imported players at the SEA Games, lineups are rarely so devoid of home-grown talent.

Savaya incensed the Philippine bench during that shock opening win by tilting his head onto his hands in a "night night" gesture as he called a late-game timeout.

The heat inside the non-air-conditioned basketball venue added to the gripes of the Philippine management.

The venue, filled with a partisan home crowd, was sweltering on Tuesday as Cambodia ended the first quarter with a 22-21 lead.

But the outnumbered Philippine fans made themselves heard as their side battled to a 44-33 half-time lead, thanks to 15 points from Brownlee.

The visitors then mostly held Cambodia at bay throughout the third and fourth quarters.

Savaya was a kinetic presence on the sidelines, the Lebanese-Armenian coach whipping up the home crowd. He even danced after his team shot a particularly nice three-pointer.

But the Philippines fans gleefully returned his infamous "night night" gesture as the clock ticked down and their victory became inevitable. Savaya met it with a resigned laugh.

Reyes said he felt "happiness" at the final buzzer. "It's just relief."

"Very happy for the Filipino people," he added.

Thailand beat Indonesia 83-69 in the bronze-medal match, thanks to 21 points from Martin Breunig.

Cambodia had already won the men's basketball 3x3, beating the Philippines in the final more than a week ago.

leg/pbt