After a dismal first game, Afril Bernardino and Perlas Pilipinas 3×3 put on a better showing against 12th-ranked Germany. However, the Filipinas could not convert late, falling 10-12, Friday evening at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The Philippines falls to 0-2 in Pool D of the 2018 FIBA 3×3 World Cup. Spain leads the group with a 2-0 record followed by a triple tie between Germany, Netherlands, and Hungary.
Perlas started slow and could only score their first bucket a minute and 10 seconds in the contest. But Afril Bernardino put the team on her young shoulders, scoring the Philippines’ next six points to pull within two points with 4:41 left.
A basket by Laura Zdraveski momentarily stopped the bleeding for the Germans, but an inside find by Jack Animam to Janine Pontejos, followed by a Gemma Miranda putback coming off a Pontejos miss, sliced the lead to just a solitary point with 2:19 remaining.
Wiebke Bruns scored on a banker afterwards, but was answered right back by a Miranda bucket. A leaner by Luana Rodefeld gave Germany a two-point edge with 1:18 left.
Perlas was able to get stops, but three triples by Pontejos and another one by Bernardino could not find their mark in the end game.
Rodefeld and Zdravevska led Germany’s balanced attack with four points each.
Perlas 3×3 will face Spain on Sunday, June 10, at 4:20pm. The Filipinas close out their campaign against Hungary on the same day at 7:00pm.
The Scores:
GER 12 — Rodefeld 4, Zdravevska 4, Bruns 3, Muller 1.
PHI 10 — Bernardino 6, Miranda 2, Animam 1, Pontejos 1.
