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Gilas Pilipinas Stuns China to Advance to 19th Asian Games Finals (77 – 76)

October 5, 2023
Image: @19thAGofficial

Gilas Pilipinas stunned host China with a thrilling 77-76 come-from-behind victory in the semifinals of the 19th Asian Games men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.

Gilas Pilipinas trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, but they rallied back in spectacular fashion to steal the game. Justin Brownlee scored 17 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lead Gilas Pilipinas to victory.

China got off to a hot start, leading by as many as 12 points in the first quarter. Gilas Pilipinas kept pace in the second quarter, but China was able to build an 18 point lead at halftime.

China extended their lead to 20 points, 52-32, in the third quarter with 08:24 remaining, but Gilas Pilipinas refused to give up. They cut the lead to just 12 points entering the 4th. China responded by exchanging basket with Gilas but Justin Brownlee was just starting to heat up.

Gilas Pilipinas tighten their defense and limited China to just 14 pts in the qtr, while Gilas made 27 points, with Brownlee scoring 17 pts of those 27. China had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but ZHANG Zhenlin missed his jumper before the time expires.

Brownlee was the hero for Gilas Pilipinas in this game, scoring 33 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. He was also perfect from beyond the arc, making all 5 of this three-pointers.

Scottie Thompson also had a big game for Gilas Pilipinas. He finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Junmar Fajardo and Jaymar Perez both added 8 points with 4 and 5 rebounds, respectively.

Rui Zhao led the scoring for China with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.

With the win, Gilas Pilipinas advances to the final of the Asian Games for the first time since 1990. They will face Jordan in the final on Friday, October 6, 2023.

The Scores

  • Philippines 77 – J. Brownlee 33, S. Thompson 13, J. Fajardo 8, J. Perez 8, L. Alas 5, C. Newsome 4, C. Oftana 4, A. Kouame 2, C. Ross 0, M. Lassiter 0, J. Aguilar 0.
  • China 76 – Zhao R. 18, Hu M. 10, Zhu 10, Wang 10, Zhao J. 9, Hu J. 8, Du 6, Zhang 4, Cui 1, Cheng 0.

Quarters: 17-19, 30-48, 50-62, 77-76.

Published in 19th Asian Games, Basketball and Sports