It was a tough opening day for Gilas Women at the FIBA 3×3 Women’s World Cup—and they will need a quick turnaround.
The Philippines dropped both of its Pool C assignments on Monday at the Parade Square in Warsaw, falling first to Latvia 11-14 and then to Germany 10-22, leaving them at the bottom of the pool after the first day of action.
Gilas Women Loses Heartbreaker to Latvia
The Latvia game was the closer of the two—and the more painful. Gilas Women came out sharp, with Kacey Dela Rosa and Mikka Cacho combining to give the Philippines a 5-2 early lead. Then Latvia, the No. 15 seed, went on a 12-1 run to flip the game on its head. Gilas fought back, trimming the deficit to three at 10-13, but could not find the basket when it mattered most. Latvia held on for the win.
Dela Rosa led Gilas with 5 points and 3 rebounds. Cacho added 3 points and 3 boards.
Germany Throttles Filipinas
The Germany game was a different story—and a harder one to tell. The No. 6 seed never let Gilas breathe, building a lead of as many as 9 points and never looking back. The final score of 22-10 left little room for silver linings, though Dela Rosa and Cacho again carried the load, combining for 8 points in the loss.
All Is Not Lost
The road ahead is steep. Only three teams from each group of five will advance to the knockout stage, with the the first-place finisher getting seeded directly into the quarterfinals. The second- and third-place finishers, meanwhile, will advance to the play-in Round of 16. With two losses and no points, Gilas needs results—and they need them quickly.
Wednesday brings a double-header against China and Italy. These are two must-win games for the Philippines. Gilas Women earned their spot in Warsaw by beating Singapore in the April qualifiers. Now they need to show what they came for.
