The Gilas Pilipinas women’s team are now 2-0 up at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup
Photo from FIBA.basketball
It was a bittersweet day in Changsha, China where the Philippines’ 3×3 teams are competing at the Federation International Basketball Association (FIBA) 3×3 U-23 Asia Cup.
The women’s team composed of Jack Animam, Clare Castro, Afril Bernardino, and Janine Pontejos swept through the competition, opening the tournament with a dominant performance against Samoa who only managed to earn a point throughout the match, 21-1.
They then went on to win their second game of the day against Chinese Taipei, 16-13, and increased their chances of advancing to the finals. In order to get into the pool stage of the competition, the women’s team must qualify for the two final open spots by eliminating all the opponents in their bracket. Next up is Vanuatu on Thursday.
Out of contention
Meanwhile, Ricci Rivero, RJ Abarrientos, and Rhayyan Amsali of the men’s team are officially out of the competition after losing to Thailand (14-11) and Qatar (21-17). During their opener against Thailand, Rivero went down and sprained his ankle.
After losing two straight games and tallying a total of 28 points in the tournament, the men’s squad will no longer be able to advance to the final stage of the tournament. They will play their last two games on Thursday against Iran and Samoa.
To watch the upcoming games live, tune in to FIBA’s live stream on YouTube.