The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) on Tuesday celebrated the triumphs of the country's basketball teams in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, noting that they achieved their feat despite a bevy of challenges.

Gilas Pilipinas reclaimed the men's basketball gold medal in emphatic fashion at the Morodok Techo Elephant Hall 2, fending off Cambodia for a vengeful 80-69 triumph in front of a packed crowd.

Their win highlighted the basketball teams' campaign in Phnom Penh, which included a silver in women's basketball, and two more silvers in 3x3 basketball.

• Gilas Pilipinas gets back at Cambodia, regains SEA Games gold

"Gilas showed that the pride of fighting for our country is stronger than any other motivation," SBP President Al Panlilio said in a statement.

"They played through substandard conditions in the court, under the sweltering heat, and overcame bumps and bruises to make us all proud," he added.

The road back to the gold medal had not been easy for Gilas Pilipinas, as they lost to Cambodia in the group stage -- a defeat that SBP Chairman Emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan called "disgraceful."

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They also dealt with less than ideal playing conditions. Gilas Men's coach Chot Reyes had not been shy in complaining about the court, which featured a temporary linoleum surface that often had to be taped down in between games.

The surface has caused players to slip and get injured; in the gold medal game, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser went down in the second quarter and had to be helped off the court after slipping.

"There's no way we should be playing top-level international competitions on linoleum," Reyes said early on, noting that they lost Calvin Oftana to injury because of the "very bad" conditions.

There were also problems with the heat as the venue is not fully air-conditioned. Justin Brownlee, who lifted Gilas to victory over Indonesia in the semifinals, suffered from cramps and dehydration throughout the tournament.

The SBP hailed their teams for powering through these issues and bringing medals back to the country.

"This is a reminder to our country and the Southeast Asian region that upholding the values of fairplay, sportsmanship, and love for country trumps all," said Panlilio.

• Gilas Women defeat Malaysia to clinch SEA Games silver

Meanwhile, Reyes was pleased that his team's hard work paid off with a gold medal.

"Siyempre masaya, pero more than anything, happy for the players dahil 'yung pinaghirapan nila, nagbunga," he said.

He also got the last laugh over his Cambodian counterpart, Harry Savaya, who memorably drew the ire of the Philippine team when he called a timeout with 20.7 seconds left in Cambodia's group stage win over Gilas.

"We always talk about playing the game the right away, so we also coach the game the right way. If yung ibang coach medyo may kulang sa ethics, tayo hindi naman. Filipino tayo, marunong tayo manalo," said Reyes.

For more stories on the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, click here.

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Gilas celebrates their victory over Cambodia. Rhea Soco-Neis, ABS-CBN News