Gilas Pilipinas Women will enter the quarterfinals of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup as the second seed in Pool D.
The Philippines finished 1-1 in pool play, opening with a 19-11 win over Tonga before falling to defending champion Australia, 21-10 (8:36), on Saturday at OCBC Square in Singapore.
Australia features WNBA pro Kristy Wallace, who currently plays for Toronto.
In the quarterfinals on Sunday at 3:20 p.m., Gilas will face Mongolia, which went undefeated with a 2-0 record in Pool B.
(C) FIBA 3×3
Last year, the Philippines finished fourth despite competing with only three players after Camille Clarin suffered an ACL injury during pool play.
Australia, meanwhile, will meet fellow Oceania squad New Zealand in their quarterfinal clash at 1:55 p.m.
Earlier in the day, Australia cruised past Tonga, 21-3 (6:14), while the Philippines eliminated Tonga with a 19-10 win, led by Kacey Dela Rosa’s eight points and Afril Bernardino’s six.
Against the Gangurrus, however, Gilas struggled against Australia’s size advantage.
The Australians’ lineup averaged 186.25 cm in height, while the Philippines’ tallest player, Dela Rosa, stood at 183 cm.
(C) FIBA 3×3
Australia raced to a 12-7 lead midway through the game and extended it to 16-8 after an Amy Atwell deuce.
From there, the Gangurrus dominated, with Lara McSpadden scoring a crucial two-pointer to reach match point before ex-WNBA pro Emma Clarke nailed the killshot with 1:24 remaining.
McSpadden finished with eight points and six rebounds for Australia, while Clarke added seven points and six boards.
For the Philippines, Dela Rosa and Bernardino scored four points each, though Australia held Dela Rosa scoreless on the boards.
Women’s Pool D
First game:
Australia 21 – Clarke 7, McSpadden 6, Atwell 6, Wallace 2.
Tonga 3 – Ika 2, Finau 1, Enari A. 0, Enari K. 0.
Time: Atwell FT (3:46).
Second game:
Philippines 19 – Dela Rosa 8, Bernardino 6, Apag 4, Cacho 1.
Tonga 10 – Finau 5, Ika 3, Enari A. 1, Enari K. 1.
Third game:
Australia 21 – McSpadden 8, Clarke 7, Atwell 3, Wallace 3.
Philippines 10 – Bernardino 4, Dela Rosa 4, Apag 2, Cacho 0.
Time: Clark 1 (1:24)
