The Filipinas finished second in Pool A.
The Gilas Pilipinas Women enter the knockout stage of the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2023 after finishing with a 1-1 record in Pool A on Saturday. They also got a bit of luck on their side.
The tenth seed Philippines was outclassed by top seed China in Pool A, 19-10, earlier in the day. The Chinese made a 5-1 run in the first two minutes, and the Filipinas had to play catch-up.
Lingge Zhang ended up with 10 points, while Afril Bernardino scored 4 points for the Gilas Pilipinas Women.
Later that afternoon, the Philippine squad was more warmed up against eighth seed Iran. It was a tight ball game all throughout with four deadlocks. But the Gilas Pilipinas Women did not let go of their lead in the final three minutes to seal the win, 16-14.
Veteran scorer Janine Pontejos showed up with 6 markers, while sharpshooter Khate Castillo made 5 points of her own.
The Filipinas' quarterfinals fate, however, would depend on the game between China and Iran. And the Middle Eastern squad would need more than 12 points to advance.
That game ended with China's victory, 21-12, pushing the Filipinas to the next round.
The Philippines will face the New Zealand, who finished at the top of Pool C, on Sunday. The match will commence at 12:05 p.m.