Hangzhou, China, October 6, 2023: Justin Brownlee scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds as the Philippines downed Jordan 70-60 to win the Asian Games gold medal game on Friday night at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.
The win gave the Philippines their first basketball gold in the competition in 61 years. Their last medal came in 1998 when they took the bronze.
One night after China topped Japan 74-72 in a thrilling women’s gold medal game, the Philippines and Jordan were unable to duplicate the same level of play in their contest.
Neither side was able to develop much of a fastbreak, so the game became a half-court affair marked by poor shooting from the field. The Philippines shot just 33 percent in the victory, while Jordan could manage only 26 percent.
Angelo Kouame backed up Brownlee with 14 points for the Philippines.
Rondae Jefferson had 24 points for Jordan, while Ahmad Al Dwairi corralled 15 rebounds in the loss.
Jordan entered the game with a 5-0 record, while the Philippines was 5-1. Jordan beat Chinese Taipei 90-71 on Oct. 4 to make the final. The Philippines edged China 77-76 in their semifinal the same day.
Philippines coach Earl Cone was pleased with how his players came through in a big moment.
"We played a great game. We played our best game of the tournament," Cone stated. "We had a beautiful defensive performance. Chris Newsome really handled their star Rondae Jefferson well and kept him from getting to the rim."
Newsome, the team captain, talked about the significance of the win for the Philippines.
“It means a lot not just for me, but everybody in that locker room,” Newsome commented. “There was a lot of people who didn’t think we could do it, and we proved them wrong. Now we get something to celebrate back home in the Philippines."
Jordan coach Wesam Al-Sous admitted it was not his team’s day, but cited the historical achievement of getting the silver medal.
“This is the first ever medal for a team game for Jordan,” Al-Sous noted. “We were hoping it would be a gold medal. It is sports and today was not our day. We didn’t shoot the ball. We had a lot of opportunities and wide-open shots that we normally make.”
Jordan captain Ahmad Al Dwairi saluted his opponents for their performance.
“They deserved it. They played hard, they played good,” Al Dwairi said. “We take a lot of lessons from this game, for the future and the next generation.”
The pace of the game was slow in the opening quarter, with neither team able to gain much momentum as both shot poorly. The Philippines led 17-12 after Brownlee hit a 3-pointer with 0:24 left in the quarter.
Jordan shot 3-21 from the field in the first 10 minutes and was fortunate to only be down by five points.
A 3-pointer by Brownlee put the Philippines up 24-15 just over two minutes into the second quarter. Jordan hit consecutive 3-pointers after the Philippines went ahead 28-15 to reduce the deficit to 28-21. Jordan kept the rally going and after two more 3-pointers it was 29-29 with two minutes left in the first half after a 14-1 run.
Jordan then pulled ahead 31-29 on a jumper by Mohammad Hussein with 0:56 left and the score was 31-31 at the half.
Jefferson had 11 points for Jordan in the first half, while Brownlee put up 13 for the Philippines.
A layup by Brownlee put the Philippines on top 45-39 with 3:24 left in the third quarter as Jordan’s shooting troubles resurfaced. The Philippines extended their advantage to 51-42 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Earl Thompson rebounded his own miss and made a layup and the Philippines led by 10 with 4:53 left in the fourth quarter at 60-50 as the outcome began to appear academic.
*In earlier action, China routed Chinese Taipei 101-73 in the bronze medal game. Cui Yongxi led China with 20 points in the win, while Ling Ting Chien was the high scorer for Chinese Taipei in the loss.
Chinese Taipei actually led 46-40 at halftime, before China outscored them 34-10 in the third quarter to win going away.