More importantly, the Filipinos return to the finals against host Cambodia.
Justin Brownlee did the heavylifting as Gilas Pilipinas exacted revenge on Indonesia, 84-76, in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games men’s basketball semifinals on Monday.
Brownlee finished with 34 points, including key baskets in the fourth period as Gilas arranged a gold-medal match against host Cambodia. The home team beat Philippines in the group stage in a game that was filled with antics that didn't sit well with Gilas coaches.
The naturalized Filipino also had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in a little over 35 minutes of play.
With the Philippines down 7 in the first minutes of the payoff period, the three-time PBA Best Import scored 9 points in almost 3 minutes, including a booming triple that gave Gilas the lead for good, 76-74, with still 3:06 remaining.
He sealed the victory against the team that beat us in the finals in Hanoi with a pair of freebies with 44.5 ticks left.
Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser chipped in 13 points, while Arvin Tolentino shot two 3-pointers on his way to 10 points.
Marcio Lassiter and Jerom Lastimosa added 9 points each for Gilas, which struggled against former PBA import Lester Prosper in the early goings of the game.
But the Filipinos finally figured out the puzzle that was Prosper in the third quarter, making life difficult for the amiable big man with double or triple teams in the post.
Prosper finished with 26 points and 9 rebounds, but was a non-factor in the homestretch of the match.
(GM)