Gilas Pilipinas Men fell short of a medal after bowing to Iran, 21-10 (8:13), in the 20th Asian Games 3×3 basketball bronze medal match on Friday at Kinjo Futo Station Square.
It was a crushing defeat for the Filipino quartet of Nic Cabanero, Luis Pablo, Doy Dungo, and Koji Buenaflor, who entered the final day with hopes of reaching the championship game.
Those hopes, however, were dashed earlier in the day. The Philippines was overwhelmed by a Korean team coming off a surprising silver-medal finish in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup last April, 9-21, in the semifinals.
Gilas was then pushed by Iran from the opening minutes of the bronze medal match, falling behind 7-3 and failing to recover from the deficit.
A Sarem Jafari dunk off a Seyed Ghafari pass sealed the bronze medal for Iran with 1:47 remaining.
Dungo led the Philippines with four points, while Pablo added three. Cabanero struggled from the field, making just two of his eight attempts.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Philippines recorded its best showing in three editions of the Asian Games 3×3 tournament.
Gilas went unbeaten in pool play, defeating Mongolia before cruising past Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan to secure the top seed in Pool A.
In the quarterfinals, the Philippines dethroned Chinese Taipei in a thrilling 21-19 victory.
