Bangladesh fell heartbreakingly short in the final of the Five Nation Basketball Championship after a rousing performance against Bhutan, losing 62-60 in Maldives and having to be content with second place.

The men in red and green were down by 22 points late in the third quarter and went into the fourth and final quarter facing a 17-point deficit before mounting a miraculous comeback after Solaiman Tanu caught fire.

He scored 11 of his 18 points in the final quarter, and racked up a total of eight assists to will Bangladesh to a comeback. Mithun Biswas also impressed with 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists but he fouled out with just over two-and-a-half minutes left to put a damper on Bangladesh's hopes.

But Tanu stayed the course and, with just 11 seconds to go, hit a pair of free throws to give his side a slender one-point lead.

However, Bhutan held their nerve after finding themselves with just six seconds on the clock, manoeuvring the ball around the key and finding an inside pass which resulted in an easy lay-up and one to take the lead with just one second remaining.

Arif Hossain Bappi's last-second heave from the length of the court was nowhere close, leaving Bangladesh's players in disarray.

It could easily have been a different story had Bangladesh managed to score better than a paltry 69 per cent from the free throw line or if they had taken better care of the ball. They had 27 turnovers which led to 30 of Bhutan's 62 points.