Can the Philippines improve its 8th place finish in 2019?
The Gilas Pilipinas Women will step inside the half-court once again on Saturday for the FIBA Asia Cup 3x3 2023 in Singapore.
The Filipinas will try to improve their eighth place finish back in 2019, after missing out on the 2022 edition. It's also a good run-up to their campaign to retake the 3x3 gold in the Southeast Asian Games later this May, after falling short of the podium last year in Vietnam.
The familiar trio of the women's 3x3 will play once again for the Philippines—Afril Bernardino, Clare Castro, and veteran sharpshooter Janine Pontejos.
And in case you forgot, Pontejos is a woman to be feared—picking up the shoot-out contest title in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2018.
This time, they have an extra sharpshooter in Khate Castillo. This La Salle guard particularly made it rain against hosts Vietnam last year, when she launched seven three-pointers in the SEA Games.
But the 10th-seeded Philippines will be going up against hefty opponents in Pool A—such as top seed China at 2:50 p.m. on April 1 and eighth ranked Iran later at 6:15 p.m.
The top two squads will go on to the knockout quarterfinals.