![Chris Ross, Japeth Aguilar and Justin Brownlee of the Philippines [PSC-POC photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/383768428_1504702050303075_2349943631389886255_n-400x200.jpg)
Call it the lull before the storm, Jordan’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson hugging Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone, Justin Brownlee and TNT Tropang Giga teammate Calvin Oftana when they ran across each other at a training facility in the 19th Asian Games last Wednesday.
![Justin Brownlee of the Philippines against Thailand at the 2023 Asian Games [PSC-POC photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/382266622_707026184619041_2181445154918113872_n-400x200.jpg)
Gilas Pilipinas needed more than three full quarters to solve the riddle of Thailand and Tyler Lamb on Thursday, September 28, going without a clue before finding the answer in the last six minutes to win, 87-72, in the 19th Asian Games at the Zhejiang University Zijingang Gymnasium.
Gilas Pilipinas buckled down to business right away, routing Bahrain, 89-61, to kick off its 19th Asian Games campaign on a rousing note on Tuesday, September 26, at the HOC Olympic Stadium.
![Gilas Pilipinas [FIBA.com photo]](https://sportsbytes.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/gilas-1-400x200.jpg)
A year after the Philippines conceded the gold medal in men’s basketball to Indonesia during the rescheduled 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, ending a 52-game winning streak dating back to 1997, the country’s own version of the Redeem Team flies to Phnom Penh this May for the 32nd edition of the SEA Games with a mission so vital it couldn’t be overstated enough.