MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas tightened its hold on the FIBA 3×3 Nations League Asia SEA Conference as the Philippine women widened their overall lead and the men closed in on frontrunner New Zealand after sweeping the Stop 3 titles Wednesday in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
The Gilas women strengthened their position atop the conference standings with a 17-14 victory over Chinese Taipei in the championship game, while the men dealt New Zealand its first tournament defeat with a thrilling 21-19 triumph.
The women’s second tournament title pushed the Philippines further ahead of Chinese Taipei, 260-230, in the overall standings heading into Stop 4 on Friday.
Amyah Espanol delivered when it mattered most, scoring five of the Philippines’ final six points to put away Chinese Taipei. She finished with six points, while Victoria Pasilang added five and Jam Meniano chipped in four.
The Filipinas advanced to the championship round after dominating Thailand, 21-9, before surviving New Zealand, 17-16. Pasilang led the Philippines with seven points against Thailand, while Kennan Ka scored six against New Zealand.
Gilas Men, meanwhile, injected new life into its chase for the conference lead by ending New Zealand’s unbeaten run and trimming the Kiwis’ advantage in the overall standings to 280-250.
In a tightly contested championship game, Doy Dungo buried the decisive two-pointer with 1:28 remaining to seal the Philippines’ 21-19 victory.
Luis Pablo led Gilas with eight points, Dungo finished with seven, and Andrew Bongo contributed six.
The Philippine men entered the final with momentum after sweeping their preliminary-round assignments, routing Vietnam, 21-9, and defeating Chinese Taipei, 21-13.
With three stops completed, both Philippine squads remain firmly in contention for conference supremacy as the Nations League heads into the second half of the competition.
Both Gilas Men and Gilas Women return to action in Stop 4 on Friday, where they will be grouped with Vietnam and host Malaysia in the preliminary round./PN
