Gilas Pilipinas reclaims SEAG basketball gold medal at Cambodia's expense

The Philippines is once again the king of hoops in Southeast Asia.

Gilas Pilipinas reclaimed the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games after taking down a reinforced Cambodian squad, 80-69, in the finals on Tuesday in Cambodia.

Justin Brownlee led the Filipinos in scoring with 23 points while Chris Newsome added 16.

The Philippines had the lead, 44-33, at the end of the first half before they eventually regained the title.

The win also avenged their elimination round loss against the host country.

Cambodia, despite fielding several naturalized players, settled for silver while Thailand took home the bronze medal as they defeated erstwhile defending champions Indonesia, 83-69, in the battle for third place.

The Gilas victory should also serve as a morale booster as the national team heads to the upcoming 2023 FIBA World Cup where the Philippines will play Italy, Angola, and Dominican Republic in the group stage of the event hosted by the country, alongside Japan and Indonesia.

This added to the Philippines' medal haul in this edition of the biennial meet, which already stood at at least 53 gold medals prior to this result.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News