Coming off an 18-point game against Iran, RJ Abarrientos made sure to continue his heater run.
Abarrientos torched Samoa, lifting Gilas Pilipinas Men’s 3×3 to a 22-15 victory, Thursday afternoon in Changsha, China.
The Philippines ended its campaign in the qualifiers with an even 2-2 record in Qualifying Pool A. Qatar, who defeated the Gilas during Day 1 21-17, will advance to the 2019 FIBA 3X3 Asia Cup proper.
Abarrientos, a 5-foot-11 guard out of FEU Diliman, was on fire to start the game, knocking down four straight deuces to give the Philippines an early 10-4 lead.
Behind the hulking Theodore McFarland and Ratu Levy, the Samoans then stormed back. They cut the lead to just two, 11-13, with under three minutes left.
Rhayyan Amsali made sure to show up and support Abarrientos, scoring four straight points to stop the bleeding for Gilas 3×3.
Abarrientos then took over from there.
With the Philippines holding a 20-14 lead with 2.4 seconds left, Abarrientos connected on a walk-off deuce to seal the deal.
Abarrientos had 14 points, all from downtown, while Amsali added six markers.
McFarland and Levy had five points each for the 1-3 Samoa.
The Scores:
Philippines 22 – Abarrientos 14, Amsali 6, Ebona 2.
Samoa 15 – McFarland 5, Levy 5, Paia 3, Tufuga 2.
