UNDERSTANDABLY, Gilas Pilipinas Women came in as the underdogs ahead of the battle for the gold against Thailand in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The Thais finished silver in the 2017 event in Kuala Lumpur, while the Filipinas have never won the cup.
The last time the Philippines made the podium and won a silver, it was Thailand which copped the gold medal in 2013 in Naypyitaw.
It also didn't help that the Thais boasted having New York Liberty guard Tiffany Bias on their side, making the mountain all the steeper for Gilas Women to scale.
But those hardly mattered. Just ask Kelli Hayes.
"I think everyone's just basketball players," she said, personifying the Philippines' drive for the gold and bucked the odds to win it all on Tuesday.
"I don't care where you played or where you're from: It's basketball at the end of the day. Between these lines, it's five players on each team and one ball. Regardless of your history, what you've done, what you haven't done, it's what happens on the court when you're done."
Hayes was part of the frontliners in Gilas Women's 91-71 rout of Thailand, finishing with 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds in what was easily the best game for the hosts in the biennial meet.

And what better way for them to churn that out in the most crucial tiff of it all as they swept the four-nations tourney to finally ascend to the peak.
"Gold or nothing, that's the mindset from the jump," the Fil-Am forward said. "We didn't have the best games against Indonesia and Malaysia, but I think we're able to put together those two games and had an even greater game against Thailand cause we know this was it. We wanted it and it was whoever wanted it more and we wanted it more."
Bias, for her part, still led Thailand with 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals, but she shot 6-of-17 from the field and committed three turnovers to her name.
As the Philippines revel on the glory it achieved, Hayes knows that a gold-medal finish should always be the goal from hereon -- with the Philippines proving that it's not only one of the best teams in the continent but also the cream of the crop in the region.
"I think from now on, this should be the standard. I think the standard should always be gold," she said.
"I remember from the first game, they said we only had 120 minutes, each game is 40 minutes, and look at each game as our last. I think every game, with our talent, we're able to persevere and push through and accomplish each game. I'm happy with the results."
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