Gilas Women back to FIBA 3x3 World Cup after eight years
- Rodolfo Dacleson II
- Apr 13
- 1 min read
The Philippines secured the last plane ticket for the 2026 FIBA 3x3 Women's World Cup after overwhelming host Singapore in the losers' finals, 21-10, during the qualifiers at the OCBC Square on Sunday, April 12.
Gilas Pilipinas Women return to the global stage for the first time since 2018, when the country hosted the annual showpiece. They finished 17th out of 20 teams at that tournament.
Reigning back-to-back UAAP MVP Kacey Dela Rosa led the charge for the Filipina cagers with a game-high 11 points, while Afril Bernardino and Mikka Cacho added six and four markers.
The Singaporeans found no answer to the Filipinas' dominant inside game that gave them an insurmountable 16-8 lead with 2:14 left on the clock.
Bernardino, who was part of the country's World Cup squad eight years ago, couldn't help but reflect on her 3x3 journey for the Philippines.
“I can’t imagine [that] I’m still here playing basketball for the Philippines, but I [won’t] be here without the support of our federations, the SBP [Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas] and the PSC [Philippine Sports Commission],” said the veteran skipper in the post-game interview.
Earlier today, the nationals fell to Lithuania in the semifinals, 21-16, which relegated them to the battle for third.
This year's World Cup is scheduled from June 1 to 7 in Warsaw, Poland.
Last week, the Philippines made history by bagging the silver medal in its first-ever finals appearance in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup.
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