The Philippines is back on top of the Asian Games after 61 years.
The Philippines won its first title in 61 years with a 70-60 victory over Jordan in the men’s basketball final of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gimnazium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on Saturday (June 6).
The Philippines hasn’t won an Asian Games title in 61 years, since the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games. Led by Justin Brownlee (20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one blocked shot), they defeated hosts China and avenged their group stage loss to Jordan to claim the gold medal.
Led by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals), Jordan went for its first Asian Games gold medal in history, but had to settle for its first-ever final appearance.
The Philippines got off to a good start in the first quarter. They opened with 3-pointers from Thompson and Newsome and then used Brownlee’s explosive shooting to put Jordan under pressure. It was a far cry from Jefferson’s sluggish start. An end-one play by Newsome gave the Philippines a 17-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was similarly uneventful until the midway point. Kuame’s jumper hit the rim repeatedly to extend the lead. At one point, they led by as many as 13 points, 28-15. The problem was that Jefferson’s free-throw shooting came alive. And then Ibrahim stepped up. The Philippines briefly went back up 29-31 and narrowly closed the half 31-31 on a floater by Brownlee.
The Philippines started to pull away again in the third quarter. Three-pointers from Newsome, Thompson, and Optana split the rim. Plus, Brownlee broke down Jordan’s inside-outside defense. Jordan was as silent as Jefferson was in the first quarter. Even Ibrahim lost his groove and went cold. The Philippines ended the third quarter with a 10-point lead, 51-41, on a jumper by Newsome and a putback by Aguilar.
An intense fourth quarter. The Philippines attacked the rim aggressively and made a lot of free throws. Jordan fought back hard. After Ibrahim’s three-pointer, Bohanon and Jefferson 스포츠토토 gave chase, but the Philippines had Kuame. Overpowering Jordan’s physicality, he showed off his strength under the basket and continued to score.
The inside-outside combination of Brownlee and Cuamey was a terror for Jordan. The Jordanian push, centered around Jefferson, was unsuccessful and time ran out, as the Philippines sealed the victory and ended their 61-year wait.
Meanwhile, in the bronze medal game, China defeated Chinese Taipei 101-73 to claim the bronze.