MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas Women etched its name in history after securing the country’s first-ever podium finish in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, capturing a silver medal despite a 9-18 loss to defending champion Australia in the final on Sunday evening at OCBC Square in Kallang, Singapore.
The Philippine quartet of Kacey dela Rosa, Afril Bernardino, Mikka Cacho, and Cheska Apag delivered a breakthrough performance, surpassing all previous national teams — men’s or women’s — by reaching the podium for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Despite falling short against a dominant Australian squad, the Filipinas’ runner-up finish signaled a major leap for the country’s 3×3 program on the continental stage.
Australia, meanwhile, continued its dominance in the event, capturing its sixth title overall and extending its reign to four straight championships.
The Gilas Women squad will have little time to rest as it returns to action in Singapore for the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2026 qualifiers scheduled on April 11 to 12.
The Philippines has been placed in Pool B together with Singapore and Brazil, while Pool A consists of Hungary, Lithuania, and Egypt. The top three teams from each pool will advance to the World Cup set from June 1 to 7 in Warsaw, Poland.
Meanwhile, South Korea denied Gilas Pilipinas Men a seat in the semifinals after hacking out an 18-15 win in their knockout game on Sunday afternoon.
Behind Donggeun Lee, the Sokors took the initiative and jumped off to a 3-0 start, forcing the Filipinos to play catch up the entire 10 minutes of play. He finished with a team-high eight points.
Jerrick Ahanmisi again had the hot hands for the Philippines and showed the way with eight points, but the Filipinos just couldn’t get over the hump as the Sokors played too calm and too steady in the face of Gilas’ repeated rallies.
Chris Koon and Sean Alter had three each, and Ralph Cu with a point as the Philippines formally bowed out of the tournament after climbing out from the qualifying draw where it beat Maldives and Thailand./PN
