A nail biting 3rd/4th place play-off between South Korea and the Philippines went down to the wire with the former eventually prevailing thanks to two late 3-pointers.
The Philippines missed three clutch free throws with 40 seconds left that would eventually cost them a place in the 2012 Olympic qualifying play-offs.
South Korea overturned an 11-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter thanks to naturalised player Moon Tae-Jong.
Cho Sung Min and Moon were South Korea’s heroes, nailing the two late 3-pointers that swung the game in the final minute before the Philippines crumbled at the free throw line.
“I was getting nervous because I was missing so much. I like to shoot the three, but not as much as I’ve been shooting here,” Moon said.
The Philippines’ star player during the tournament, Marcus Douthit, could have sent the game to overtime but the centre was unable to convert an offensive rebound with only six seconds on the clock.
The Philippines will be disappointed considering they dominated for most of the match having a lead – 13 at one point – through the first three quarters, holding Korea to just three 3-pointers in seven attempts before the fourth quarter.
Sung Min top-scored with 20 for Korea while Douthit – missed offensive rebound aside – was again the Philippines’ main man, scoring a game-high 27 points as well as collecting an amazing 22 rebounds.
Filipino point Jim Alopag collected 17 points but his magic went missing when it mattered most.
