Titans and Zoos Tokyo were the latest teams to secure their spots in the quarters of the Manila Hustle 3×3 Season 2 after dominating their respective groups on Saturday at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.
Playing undermanned due to Trina Guytingco’s injury in their first game, the three-women Titans side showcased their prowess, going 3-0 in Pool D.
Behind the superb efforts of Thai star Supavadee Kunchuan, Japanese Lina Nakazawa, and Jhazmin Joson, Titans earned a hard-fought 21-17 win over Uratex Dream, a 20-13 victory against Dinoman Hansol of Korea, and a 22-9 triumph over Royals Basketball of Australia in this tournament presented by Uratex and Smart.
(C) Manila Hustle 3×3
Zoos Tokyo were just as impressive in Pool C, setting the tone with a 21-10 win over Shoot It Dragons of Thailand before following it up with victories over Army Altama, 21-13, and Gilas Pilipinas Women, 21-10.
These two teams joined other top seeds Tokyo Dime and Discovery Perlas as they await their quarterfinal matchups.
Unfortunately, Gilas Pilipinas Women bowed out of the tournament winless in their three games, a tough outing for the rejigged national women’s 3×3 team.
Nonetheless, advancing to the next phase are Pool C teams Shoot It Dragons (2-1) and Army Altama (1-2), and Pool D squads Uratex Dream (2-1) and Dinoman Hansol (1-2).
Knockout rules are now in effect for the playoffs on Sunday, with the action tipping off at 11 a.m.
Sister teams Uratex Dream and Tibay will be one of the must-see matchups in the round of 16, with the other pairings being Army Altama taking on Shiv Nadar School of India; Bluefire LPG locking horns against Dinoman Hansol; and Shoot It Dragons meeting Owls.EXE in this meet, which has the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas as the official technical partner, Seiko Prospex as the official timekeeper, and B’lue as the official hydration partner.
At stake is USD 3,000 for the champion, USD 2,000 for the runner-up, and USD 1,000 for the third placer.
Manila Hustle 3×3 Season 3 is sponsored by Titan, Wilson, Green Cross, Secret Fresh, BDO, Laurin CocoMCT, Peloton Workforce, Senka, Pinesbel Manufacturing, Tsubaki, IFern, Evercool Radiator, Home Suite Furniture, and Quality Corrugated Box Manufacturing, and Aquaflask.
The tournament will also be streamed live for free and open to all networks on the Smart Livestream app, with Smart Sports and Puso Pilipinas as official media partners.
