Coming off two losses to world powerhouses, the U-23 3X3 squad of Gilas PIlipinas vented their ire on 14th-seed Turkmenistan, 21-8, Friday afternoon in Xi’an, China.
With the win, Team Pilipinas keeps its playoff hopes alive with a 1-2 record. The young Filipinos take on host China at 8:40pm later.
And it was the duo of RJ Abarrientos and Ricci Rivero who towed the Philippines to victory. The FEU star scored eight points while the UP-commit added six markers.
But it’s not just the two who stepped up.
With Turkmenistan holding a 5-4 lead, Rhayyan Amsali drained a two-ball to spark the Philippines. It was the start of a 9-0 blast capped by free throws from RJ Abarrientos coming off an unsportmanlike foul by Alihan Bekchanov
The Scores:
Philippines 21 – Abarrientos 8, Rivero 6, Amsali 4, Faundo 3
Turkmenistan 8 – Hojamedov 5, Bekchanov 2, Mammetmyradov 1, Nuryyev 0
