Coming off their first loss of the tournament at the hands of Japan, Gilas Pilipinas Women’s 3×3 vented their ire on hapless Sri Lanka, taking a 21-6 win, Friday afternoon in Changsha, China.
With the win, the Philippines ended its pool play campaign with an even 1-1 record. The Filipinas will have to wait for the result of the Japan-Sri Lanka game at 8:45 pm to see if they will advance to the knockout playoffs on Saturday.
Afril Bernardino, who was limited to just two points against Japan, was unstoppable to start the game, scoring or assisting on all but two of Gilas’ first eight points.
Bernardino led the way for Gilas with nine points.
The defense of the Patrick Aquino-mentored squad only allowed the Sri Lankans to score their first bucket of the game – a long deuce by Prasadi Fonseka – with 5:48 left.
Clare Castro then proved her worth for Gilas, scoring six straight points in a three-minute stretch. Moreover, the 6-foot-4 FEU Lady Tamaraw scored her first deuce of the tournament with 5:22 left.
Bernardino closed out the game with three straight points, including the game-stopping bucket with 15.5 seconds to spare.
Jack Animam and Janine Pontejos had three points each as well.
The Scores:
Philippines 21 – Bernardino 9, Castro 6, Animam 3, Pontejos 3.
Sri Lanka 6 – Fonseka 3, Thalagela 2, Ekanayake 1, Gunawijeya 0.
