Gilas Pilipinas Women continue to make history.
Fresh off their silver-medal finish in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup just a week ago at the same venue, the Filipinas reached another milestone, punching their ticket to the World Cup with a 21-10 (9:21.2) victory over host Singapore in a winner-take-all showdown on Sunday at OCBC Square.
The Philippines joins Lithuania and Hungary in securing the final three slots for the World Cup, set from June 1 to 7 in Warsaw, Poland.
Unlike their narrow 21-19 (9:54.3) semifinal loss to Lithuania, the Filipinas came out firing, racing to a 10-4 lead.
Backed by the home crowd, Lydia Ang and Jermaine Lim helped Singapore trim the deficit to four, 11-7.
(C) FIBA 3×3
Gilas then faced a scare when Mikka Cacho appeared to hurt her left hamstring after crashing into two Singapore players.
But the Filipinas refused to be denied.
Afril Bernardino and Kacey dela Rosa combined to stretch the lead to 15-8 before Cacho returned and knocked down back-to-back baskets, extending the advantage to 17-9.
With 38.8 seconds remaining, Bernardino calmly sank two free throws to seal the win and secure the country’s berth in the World Cup.
“I can’t imagine that I’m still playing with the young players. This is not possible without the support of the SBP and the PSC. I want to thank my teammates and my club team for allowing me to play here,” said Bernardino, who was also part of the Gilas Women squad—alongside Jack Animam, Janine Pontejos, and Gemma Miranda—that competed in the 2018 World Cup in Bulacan.
(C) FIBA 3×3
Dela Rosa led the Philippines with 11 points, while Bernardino added six.
Cacho chipped in four points, while Tantoy Ferrer provided key hustle plays.
“Right now, I don’t feel old because of them. Being given the chance to play with them makes me feel young, not 30. I enjoy playing 3×3 and representing the Philippines. We’re glad to get that slot to the World Cup,” Bernardino added.
Lim paced Singapore with four points, followed by Ang with three, Han Xingyue with two, and Matilda Lai with one.
