PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Justin Brownlee is a well-loved import widely cheered by the Barangay Ginebra fans back home.
But in this 32nd Southeast Asian Games, Brownlee played in a crowd against him including Tuesday’s gold-medal match against Cambodia.
Justin Brownlee on having home-court disadvantage
Brownlee played a brilliant performance, contributing 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, doing so by playing in 35 minutes after he suffered from cramps and dehydration in their last elimination-round game against Cambodia.
He also shot 8-of-16 from the field including some clutch shots in the fourth quarter that kept Cambodia at bay after the home team was making a late rally.
Brownlee said it was an experience that is definitely new to him, especially when he was silencing the crowd with his key shots down the stretch.
One pivotal shot came halfway in the fourth when he hit an up-and-under move that got Gilas ahead, 72-61, with five minutes left in the game.
“It was very interesting. I haven’t been used to it playing in the Philippines. Ginebra is like always the home team,” said Brownlee.
But Brownlee credited the Cambodian fans for staying with their team.
“But I just have to give a lot of respect to their fans. They came out and cheered on their team very hard. Made a lot of noise when they made big shots and made runs. You just have to give a lot of credit."
“It was cool though, hitting a couple of shots and silencing the crowd a little bit. It felt good. At the end of the day, I have a lot of respect to their fans for cheering their players on,” said Brownlee.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph