Camille Clarin-less Gilas Women finish 4th in FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup after falling to China
MANILA, Philippines – The Gilas Pilipinas Women 3×3 team settled for a 4th-place finish in the 2025 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup after a 21-11 loss to China in the battle for 3rd on Sunday, March 30, in Singapore.
Playing minus Camille Clarin — who suffered an apparent right knee injury in their 21-8 loss to Australia in the group phase on Saturday, March 29 — the shorthanded Filipinas just simply couldn’t keep up with their opponents as the top-ranked China immediately built a 6-1 separation just three minutes into the match.
The 5th-seeded Filipinas managed to trim the deficit to only 3 points later on, 4-7, but that was the closest they could get as the trio of Mikka Cacho, Kaye Pingol, and Jhazmin Joson ran out of gas in the endgame.
Cacho led the Philippines with 6 points and 6 rebounds, Pingol added 3 points, while Joson chipped in 2 markers in the 10-point loss.
Prior to this match, the Philippines suffered a 22-9 defeat at the hands of No. 3 Japan in the semifinals, with Cacho being the lone bright spot for Gilas Women with 5 points on 4-of-9 shooting and 4 rebounds.
Earlier today, the Filipinas stunned second-ranked Mongolia in the quarterfinals, 19-15, to book a semifinal ticket despite being undermanned and not having a substitution in the contest following the injury of NU Lady Bulldogs star Clarin.
Cacho was the topscorer in that game with 9 points, while Pingol and Joson came up with 5 each.
Despite falling short of the bronze medal, it was a slightly higher finish for the Philippines as it exceeded its sixth-place finish from the 2024 Asia Cup, where it bowed out of medal contention after falling to Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals.
Unlike Gilas Women, the Gilas Pilipinas Men 3×3 team failed to advance to the main draw of the 2025 Asia Cup after bowing to India, 21-11, in their win-or-go home showdown in Group B of the qualifiers last Thursday, March 27.
The Gilas Pilipinas Men 3×3 team was composed of former Meralco Bolts forward Joseph Sedurifa, College of St. Benilde Blazers swingman Anton Eusebio, and Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) standouts Jeff Manday and JJ Manlangit. – Rappler.com