Gilas Pilipinas failed to pass the test of Vietnam, losing via 21-14 decision in the conclusion of its elimination round campaign in the 31st Southeast Asian Games men’s 3×3 tilt, Saturday at the Thanh Tri Gymnasium in Hanoi.
Chris Dierker proved to be the thorn in the side of the reigning kings, submitting one of his best performances of the tournament to date that saw him strap the host nation to his back towards clinching the top seed of the standings.
The Vietnamese-American forward finished with 11 points, including the game-winning deuce with 1:55 left that served as a fitting way to finish what he started.
As the Filipino cagers tied the game up at 8-all early, Dierker buckled down to work and went on to give his side a comfortable 15-11 lead, 3:52 left. His teammates helped him out as well, much to the disappointment of Gilas.
The Philippines tried to put up a fight behind Jorey Napoles and Reymar Caduyac, but the Vietnamese proved too much to handle — it also didn’t help that the home team received such a huge boost from the partisan crowd.
Gilas finished the single round-robin with a 4-2 record. Its other defeat came at the hands of Surliyadin Itun and Indonesia, Friday evening.
Still, the back-to-back seekers are headed into the knockout semifinals as the no. 2 seed and will take on the third-ranked Thailand.
The Thais clinched the spot following their 21-11 conquest of the also-ran Singapore, who ended its campaign with two wins in six outings.
Vietnam, on the other hand, will battle Indonesia in the other bracket in an opportunity to better its bronze medal campaign in the 2019 wars in Manila.
The Indonesians, the silver medalists of the previous regional meet, managed to finish at no. 4 in the standings with an even 3-3 record.
