Brownlee tows Gilas to semis escape vs Indonesia for shot at SEAG gold redemption

Justin Brownlee came up with some crucial plays for the Philippine men's national basketball team as it escaped defending champions Indonesia, 84-76, on Monday in the basketball semifinals of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

Brownlee put up back-to-back triples to give Gilas Pilipinas a 76-74 lead with around three minutes left in the final period, before another basket from him and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser gave the nationals a six-point advantage with less than two minutes left.

Free throws from Chris Newsome and Brownlee widened the gap against the Indonesians before they eventually took the win.

The Indonesians had the upper hand at the end of the first half, 45-38.

They opened the final period still in the lead, 65-60, before Gilas outscored them 24-11 in the fourth to close the game out.

Brownlee, the naturalized Filipino, tallied 34 points, including five triples, nine rebounds, and five assists. He scored 15 of his points in the Philippines' big fourth quarter.

Ganuelas-Rosser and Arvin Tolentino added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Gilas.

The win spoiled Lester Prosper's 26-point output for the erstwhile defending champs.

Gilas Pilipinas will face the reinforced Cambodian team on Tuesday for a chance to reclaim the gold medal.

The scores:

Philippines 84 - Brownlee 34, Ganuelas-Rosser 13, Tolentino 10, Lassiter 9, Lastimosa 9, Newsome 4, Perez 2, Ross 2, Standhardinger 1, M. Philips 0.

Indonesia 76 - Prosper 26, Beane 12, Diagne 9, Dhyaksa 9, Jawato 8, Gemilang 6, Kokodiputra 3, Kosasih 2, Saputra 1, Noor 0, Putra Teja 0.

Quarters: 20-24, 38-45, 60-65, 84-76.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News