Coming off a whipping at the hands of China, the Philippine Women’s National 3×3 Basketball Team stepped up.
Facing elimination, Gilas Pilipinas Women showed tremendous heart, outlasting Iran and taking a 16-14 win to keep its playoff hopes alive in the 2023 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, Saturday at Singapore Sports Hub OCBC Square.
Clinging to a 14-13 lead, Khate Castillo, a known shooter, scored on a quick drive that led to a no-look layup to increase their lead to two.
After a big stop, Janine Pontejos delivered a clutch jumper with 14 seconds left that proved to be the dagger in the contest.
With the win, Gilas went up to 1-1 in Pool A. China and Iran will still face off later in the evening.
If China beats Iran, the Philippines will advance to the knockout playoffs on Sunday.
If all three nations end up with identical 1-1 records, the two teams that have the most accumulated points will advance to the next round.
Pontejos led Gilas with six points while Castillo added five.
Afril Bernardino tallied three points and three rebounds while Clare Castro grabbed seven rebounds to go with two points.
Negin Rasoulipour paced Iran with five points and 12 rebounds.
The Scores:
Philippines 16 – Pontejos 6, Castillo 5, Bernardino 3, Castro 2.
Iran 14 – Rasoulipour 5, Zadeh 4, Golmohammadi 3, Zadeh 2.
