The brave Gilas Pilipinas Women may have fallen short against powerhouse teams Japan and China, but they still secured the Philippines’ best finish in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup.
Despite playing with just three players, the Philippines lost to Japan in the semifinals, 22-9 (8:35), and to China in the bronze-medal match, 21-11 (9:57.5), finishing fourth in the continental tournament on Sunday in Singapore.
This fourth-place finish marks the highest placement for any Philippine women’s team since the country’s debut in the tournament in 2018. Last year, Gilas placed sixth.
Under the guidance of head coach Anton Altamirano and Patrick Tancioco of Better Basketball, the trio of Mikka Cacho, Kaye Pingol, and Jhazmin Joson pulled off an impressive feat, stunning world No. 12 Mongolia in the quarterfinals, 19-15.
However, in the semifinals, Japan — ranked No. 14 in the world — proved too strong for the shorthanded Filipinas.
Fuyuko Takahashi led the charge with 12 points, while Fatoumanana Nishi added seven.
Against world No. 1 China, Zhou Mengyun and Li Yuyan dominated inside, each scoring seven points to seal the victory.
Cacho led Gilas’ scoring efforts, finishing with five points against Japan and six against China.
Despite the setbacks, it was a valiant campaign for Gilas, who played without Camille Clarin after she suffered a partial right ACL tear during their pool match against Australia on Saturday night.
