Gilas Pilipinas loses to Cambodia in SEA Games 2023

Christian Standhardinger during the Gilas Pilipinas-Cambodia clash in the SEA Games 2023 men’s basketball. –CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/Ariya Kurniawan | Instagram @ariyakurniawan16

MANILA, Philippines–Saddled by frosty shooting all night long, the Philippines bowed to Cambodia, 79-68, in the highly-anticipated men’s basketball clash on Thursday in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

Gilas Pilipinas found itself trailing by double digits early in the game at Morodok Techo National Stadium in Phnom Penh, no thanks to the torrid shooting of the hosts’ naturalized players.

Not helping was the heat in the venue that had Justin Brownlee playing uncharacteristically and a fightback that came a little too late.

The Philippines, down by as many as 21 points, pulled within 78-68 going into the final minute of the contest marred by taunting from the Cambodian side, particularly by head coach Harry Savaya.

But with players visibly gassing out and erratic shooting still hounding them, the Filipinos’ comeback try sputtered as they dropped to a 1-1 record in Group A. They clobbered Malaysia in their opening assignment.

Christian Standhardinger during the Gilas Pilipinas-Cambodia clash in the SEA Games 2023 men’s basketball. ––CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/Ariya Kurniawan | Instagram @ariyakurniawan16

“I thought it was just a terrible first half for us because you saw what happened,” national coach Chot Reyes told reporters shortly after the beatdown.

“Brownlee couldn’t move, he was really dehydrated. The heat really got to him. Later on, he was better but by then he was cramping already because he had lost lots of fluid.”

Christian Standhardinger led Gilas Pilipinas with 14 points, while Chris Newsome added 11. Brownlee labored for 10 points while CJ Perez chipped in nine more in the losing stand that put the Philippines’ gold-reclamation bid in a precarious spot.

Savaya also called for a timeout with outcome beyond doubt which had assistant coach Tim Cone livid by the end of the game. The seasoned PBA mentor went on to confront the Cambodian coach and had to be separated by Ross and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.

Darrin Dorsey, one of the Americans naturalized by Cambodia for the Games, delivered 22 points after sitting out the team’s rousing 85-60 debut against Singapore on Tuesday.

Sayeed Pridgett tossed in 17 points, Oscar Lopez Jr. 13, while Darius Henderson and Brandon Peterson 11 each as the hosts made it two in a row.

“This is something we can learn from. We move on to the next game, then we prepare for the knockout semifinals,” Reyes said.

The Philippines will try to bounce back against Singapore this Saturday.

The scores:

Cambodia (79) – Dorsey 22, Pridgett 17, Lopes 13, Peterson 11, Henderson 11, Hoeup 3, Morgan 2.

Philippines (68) – Standhardinger 14, Newsome 11, Brownlee 10, Perez 9, Tolentino 5, Phillips 4, Lastimosa 4, Ganuelas-Rosser 4, Lassiter 4, Amos 3, Ross 0.

Quarterscores: 26-14, 47-31, 66-47, 79-68.

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