The Gilas Men’s and Women’s squads in the 3×3 basketball tournament in the 20th Asian Games are both just two wins away from potentially winning gold. This comes after both teams won their respective quarterfinal matches on Thursday at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue to seal their seats in the semifinals.
Gilas Men Knock Off Defending Champs
Gilas Men started the tournament by stunning top‑seeded Mongolia before finishing the group stage on top and unscathed. Their reward, however, was a knockout outing against defending 3×3 Asiad champs Chinese Taipei. And it was a dandy from the opening whistle up to the final buzzer, with Chinese Taipei showing why they are the reigning gold medalists and the Philippines proving they have what it takes to be next.
In the end, Luis Pablo converted the winning basket, driving fearlessly to give Gilas Men a 21‑19 victory. Pablo finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block in another sensational all‑around effort. Nic Cabañero, one of the tournament’s top gunners, top‑scored for the Philippines anew with 8 points to go along with 2 boards, while Koji Buenaflor added 2 points and 10 caroms. Doy Dungo had 5 points and 3 rebounds to complete the stellar team effort.
Gilas Women Follow Suit
Later in the day, Gilas Women booked their own semis ticket, dominating Southeast Asian rival Singapore, 22‑12, to inch closer to a podium finish—and even gold, potentially.
Like their counterparts on the Men’s side, Gilas Women made it to the quarters outright with a pristine group stage performance. They then leaned on a complete team effort to bring down Singapore on Thursday, with Amyah Espanol’s 7 points, 4 boards, and 2 dimes leading the way. She also made the game‑winning deuce. Kennan Ka tallied 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Kacey Dela Rosa added 6 points and 3 boards. Maria Pasilang notched 2 points and 4 boards.
Both teams will plunge back into action later today. Gilas Men will be taking on in‑form South Korea, who topped Group D with a 3‑0 record and dispatched China, 22‑13, in the quarters. Gilas Women, meanwhile, will be facing Thailand, who had a 2‑1 record in the group stage and had to beat Sri Lanka in the play‑in and Iran in the quarters.
