HANGZHOU, China – The Philippine men’s national basketball team, known as Gilas Pilipinas, defeated Jordan 70-60 on Friday to claim the gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
It was the Philippines’ first basketball gold since winning the sport’s inaugural tournaments in the 1950s and early 1960s. Their most recent final appearance had ended in silver thirty years ago against China.
Led by naturalized player Justin Brownlee’s 20 points, Gilas Pilipinas rode a strong team effort to overcome Jordan down the stretch. Big man Ange Kouame added 14 points in the paint while Chris Newsome chipped in 13 critical points off the bench.
The Philippines built on narrow halftime lead and pulled away late behind an 11-point performance from captain Scottie Thompson. Jordan kept it close thanks to 24 points from Dar Tucker but ran out of answers for the versatile Philippines squad.
“This is a proud moment for our basketball program and our country,” said Gilas head coach Jong Uichico. “These players worked so hard and deserve this gold medal. I’m grateful to be part of history tonight.”
The victory gave the Philippines its fourth basketball gold in Asian Games history to go along with their first pole vault and jiu-jitsu titles earlier in the week. China settled for bronze with a lopsided win over Chinese Taipei in the third place game.
With the top performance in their signature sport, the Philippines left Hangzhou having enjoyed their most successful Asian Games in over three decades. Their inspired run on the hardcourt demonstrated the region’s continued growth on the international basketball stage.
