The Philippines ended the campaign with a 4-1 slate, clinching the gold medal despite its loss to Malaysia, and an Indonesia win over Singapore on Sunday due to the winner-over-the-other rule.

Malaysia led 81-75 with eight minutes remaining in the fourth canto before Janine Pontejos ignited a run, draining all of her three triples and scoring 11 points in an 18-5 blast while Chack Cabinbin scored a runner which extended Gilas’ lead to seven, 93-86.

Malaysia responded with Yap Fook Yee pulling off within two possessions, 88-93, and Lee Phei Ling hitting a heady layup to knot things at 93-all before Chong Yin Yin sank a three-point shot to seal the win.

Janine Pontejos paced Gilas with 18 points and six rebounds, but the loss ended a dominant campaign for the Philippines, which beat Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore by an average of 22.5 points.

Bernardino tallied 16 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and three blocks, Gabi Bade added 13 points, seven rebounds, and two steals, while Ella Fajardo finished with 12 points.

Yap and Chong top-scored Malaysia with 25 points each, which bolstered its bid for a podium spot by improving to 3-2.

“I still tip my hat off for the girls. They played their hearts out. It’s just not as sweet as we want it to be. But we are still gold medalists. I’m so proud of them having that feat,” said Gilas Women coach Pat Aquino.

The Scores:

Malaysia 96 – Yap 25, Chong 25, Pang 21, Saw 10, Toh 7, Foo 6, Lee 2, Low 0, Tan 0, Lee 0.

Philippines 93 – Pontejos 18, Bernardino 16, Bade 13, Fajardo 12, Cabinbin 10, Surada 10, Castillo 5, Clarin 3, Tongco 3, Berberabe 2, Guytingco 1, Castro 0.

Quarters: 25-28, 58-54, 77-71, 96-93.