Behind a clutch performance by pint-sized guard Ella Fajardo, the Philippines was able to score an upset of New Zealand, 11-9, to advance to the semis of the 2019 FIBA 3X3 Under-18 Asia Cup, Saturday afternoon.
The win guaranteed the Gilas Girls program, which is headed by Patrick Aquino, its best finish in the regional meet. Awaiting them in the semis is Australia at 4:30 pm.
And it was all made possible by Fajardo.
Tied at 8-all, Fajardo, who struggled in pool play last Thursday, drove past the much-taller Emilia Shearer with 1:08 left to score on an and-one.
Fajardo had five points built on a deuce, a free throws, and a couple of one-pointers.
Angelica Surada followed it up with a huge putback off of a Kristine Cayabyab miss to give the Philippines a three-point cushion.
Though Ella Bradley scored on a layup with 16 ticks left, Helen Matthews missed a potential game-tying deuce to punch the Philippines’ ticket to the next round.
Surada and Camille Clarin had four and two points respectively for Gilas. The two proved pivotal in helping their side gain a 7-3 lead early.
Bradley paced New Zealand with five markers.
The Scores:
Philippines 11 – Fajardo 5, Surada 4, Clarin 2, Cayabyab 0.
New Zealand 9 – Bradley 5, Shearer 3, Matthews 1, Maddix 0.
