Gilas Women are through to the quarterfinals of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026 after going 1–1 in the elimination round.
Gilas Women Pull Away Late to Down Tonga
The Philippines opened its campaign with a 19–10 win over Tonga, rallying from an early deficit to secure the victory that ultimately punched their ticket to the quarterfinals.
Tonga briefly led 6–4 before Kacey Dela Rosa and Afril Bernardino took over. Bernardino’s timely two-pointer ignited a 12–1 surge that turned the game on its head. Dela Rosa finished with 8 points and 7 rebounds, Bernardino added 6 points and 8 boards, Cheska Apag contributed 4 points, and Mikka Cacho chipped in as Gilas took full control down the stretch.
Australia Proves Too Much for Gilas Women
Riding that momentum, Gilas Women ran into a different kind of test as they faced the defending champions.
The Filipinas showed early signs against Australia, briefly grabbing the lead behind outside hits from Dela Rosa and Apag. But the Australians imposed their will inside, using their size and physicality to systematically dismantle the game. After leading by just a point at 7–6, Australia unleashed a scoring run that made it 18–8 and effectively ended the contest. Bernardino’s late two-pointer provided brief resistance, but Australia closed it out 21–10 to sweep Pool D.
Dela Rosa and Bernardino each finished with 4 points in the loss. Lara McSpadden and Emma Clarke led a balanced Australian attack that Gilas had no answer for.
Mongolia Awaits
The split result was enough as Gilas Women secured the second seed in Pool D and advanced to the knockout stage.
The quarterfinal opponent, however, is as difficult as it gets as the Filipinas will be taking on host nation Mongolia, which topped its group with an unbeaten record. The crowd will not be neutral.
Gilas and Mongolia tip off on Sunday afternoon at OCBC Square in Singapore.
