Gilas 3×3 women kick off Asian Games stint with a 2-0 start

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 women’s national basketball team opened its 20th Asian Games campaign with a rousing sweep of Mongolia and Macau on Sept. 22, 2026, at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue in Nagoya, Japan.

Gilas women wasted no time making their presence felt after taking down powerhouse Mongolia, 17-12, followed by a masterclass against Macau, 21-4.

Just like the Gilas men in their opening campaign, the women’s squad faced an early character test against Mongolia, FIBA’s world No. 10-ranked nation.

The Mongolians had a red-hot start from the perimeter, cashing in on a series of pull-up jump shots to take an early lead in the 3×3 duel.

However, Ateneo de Manila University superstar Kacey Dela Rosa spearheaded an inspiring Gilas run, helping the Filipinas pull within a point, 10-11.

With only 3:12 remaining in regulation, Dela Rosa played hero ball, scoring six consecutive points that proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Mongolians.

Dela Rosa single-handedly put Gilas in the driver’s seat and was the key factor in the PHL’s demoralizing 6-1 closing run.

Mongolia tried to play a high-octane brand of basketball by throwing haymakers off the first pass following defensive rebounds, but Dela Rosa and company knew the assignment and finished the remaining two minutes with an outstanding defensive performance.

A more dominant blowout sent Macau crashing in the second game, as it simply did not have enough firepower to keep up with Gilas’ offensive outburst.

Stepping up for Gilas were Kennan Ka and Amyah Espanol, while Maria Pasilang orchestrated the offense and Dela Rosa anchored the paint, hauling in rebounds and controlling the tempo.

With the perfect start, the Filipinas replicated what their men’s counterpart achieved a day earlier against Mongolia and Sri Lanka.

The quartet of Nic Cabañero, Luis Pablo, Koji Buenaflor, and David Dungo began its Asian Games gold medal campaign by stunning Mongolia, 19-12, followed by a convincing 21-12 win over Sri Lanka.

Both 3×3 squads will resume their Asian Games campaigns today, with the women’s side going up against Malaysia while the men’s team faces Kazakhstan for a play-in spot.