Philippines take gold, China settle for bronze in Asiad men's basketball

Players compete during the Men's Gold Medal Game of Basketball between Jordan and Philippines at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

HANGZHOU, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines defeated Jordan 70-60 in the final of the men's basketball tournament, while China thrashed Chinese Taipei 101-73 in the bronze medal match at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Friday.

It was the Philippines' fifth Asiad title, and their first since 1962. Justin Brownlee scored Gilas' team-high 20 points and Angelo Kouame and Scottie Thompson added 14 and 11 respectively.

On Jordan's boxscore, Rondae Jefferson scored a game-high 24 points and Fadi Mustafa added 13. Jordan's frontcourt duo John Bohannon and Ahmad Hekmat Al-Dwairi combined for only 12 points but grabbed 20 rebounds.

In the bronze medal game, Cui Yongxi took 20 points to lead China, and the host nation rallied to defeat Chinese Taipei 101-73. Zhao Rui scored 17 points for China, and Zhao Jiwei added 12 points and eight assists, while center Hu Jinqiu contributed 12 points and six rebounds.

Zhao Rui later apologized to fans for failing to defend their 2018 Asiad title at the post-game press conference, stating "It was regretful to have results that didn't meet expectations at both the FIBA World Cup and the Asian Games."

The third-place finish at the Asiad came after China's lowly 29th-place finish at the World Cup, which saw them fail to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.

Trailing three points behind at halftime, Zhao said the team didn't give up and put on a new fighting spirit starting in the third quarter.

"We failed to keep the concentration over the full 40 or 48 minutes. This is the gap between us and top-tier teams in the world," Zhao explained. "We will be thinking about how to catch up with world-class teams when we come back to compete in the CBA."

With China's performance prompting heated debate online, Zhao responded that he would choose not to pay attention to external voices. "It's the coaches' call whether we played well or not," he said.

Chinese Taipei head coach Sang Mao-sen said at the post-game press conference that both teams had "performed very well" in the bronze medal match.

"Congrats to our players. They stepped on the court to face a lot of pressure after losing the semifinal," said China head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic, who called the team's second half "exceptional".

For Chinese Taipei, Lin Ting-chien scored a team-high 20 points, and Liu Cheng added 14, including four 3-pointers.

Sang congratulated China on victory and also praised his side's performance, adding that it was a pleasure to play on the final game day. 

Players compete during the Men's Gold Medal Game of Basketball between Jordan and Philippines at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

Players of Philippines pose for photos the Men's Basketball at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Team Jordan attend medal ceremony for the Men's Basketball at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)

Team China attend medal ceremony for the Men's Basketball at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 6, 2023. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)