WATCH: Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 | 2023 SEA Games

The bid of the Philippine men’s 3×3 team to win back the gold came short Sunday as host Cambodia pulled off a 20-15 win in the halfcourt competition final of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games.

With three naturalized players in Sayeed Pridgett, Darrin Dorsey, and Brando Peterson anchoring their bid, the Cambodians dominated their way to the gold with a five-game sweep of the tournament, including a victory over the Filipinos, the inaugural winner of the event.

It was the first ever 3×3 gold medal for the Cambodians, who were heartily cheered by the jampacked crowd at the Morodok Techo Elephant Hall.

The Filipino quartet led by Almond Vosotros trailed the host for most of the game, with the Greek League-honed Pridgett proving to be the thorn on the side of Gilas Pilipinas.

Pridgett, a 24-year-old American who was a product of the University of Montana, scored against Gilas time and time again as he finished with a game-high 10 points.

Vosotros had six points to lead the Philippine charge, which consoled itself by finishing a notch higher than the bronze medal it took home from last year during the Hanoi edition of the biennial meet.

“Heads up, heads up,” Vosotros urged the team shortly after the gold medal play.