Gilas Women breeze past Singapore, while Gilas Men survive Chinese Taipei as they move within a win of giving the Philippines its first Asian Games medal in 3×3 basketball
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas’ 3×3 teams inched closer to Asian Games medals as the men’s and women’s squads both stayed unbeaten and advanced to the semifinals on Thursday, September 24.
Gilas Women continued their dominant ways after a swift 22-12 win over Singapore in the quarterfinals at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue in Nagoya, Japan.
Kennan Ka put up 7 points and 9 rebounds, while Amyah Espano delivered 7 points and 4 rebounds, including the two-pointer that sealed the win for the Filipinas with over two minutes to spare.
Singapore led 7-5 with seven minutes left before the Philippines rode on a finishing 17-5 run.
Kacey dela Rosa also shone with 6 points and 3 rebounds as Gilas Women preserved their perfect record after sweeping Group C with convincing wins over Mongolia, Macau, and Malaysia.
While their female counterparts cruised to the semifinals, Gilas Men survived a thriller, hacking out a 21-19 win over Chinese Taipei.
Luis Pablo churned out 6 points and 6 rebounds in the win that saw the Filipinos fight back from a 17-18 deficit with a little over a minute remaining.
Doy Dungo put the Philippines in the front seat with a gutsy two pointer, 19-18, but a technical free throw allowed the Taiwanese to pull level at 19-19.
Koji Buenaflor scored on a putback to regain the upper hand for Gilas Men before Pablo sealed the win with a drive to the hoop as Chinese Taipei bungled its attempt to steal the victory, missing three straight shots from beyond the arc.
Nic Cabañero topscored for the Philippines with 8 points, Dungo supplied 5 points and 3 rebounds, while Buenaflor added 2 points and 10 rebounds.
Like the women’s crew, Gilas Men kept their record spotless after beating Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Kazakhstan in Group A.
Gilas Women tangle with Thailand, while Gilas Women battle South Korea in the semifinals on Friday, September 25.
A win by either team will secure the Philippines its first-ever Asian Games medal in 3×3 basketball. – Rappler.com
