The Gilas Pilipinas Women’s 3×3, like their male counterparts, are on a roll in the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games with a stunning victory over powerhouse Mongolia, 17-12, and an easy one against Macau, 21-4, at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue on Tuesday.
Kacey Dela Rosa bucked an ankle injury to lead the Philippines past the higher-ranked Mongolians as the nationals carried the momentum against Macau to sweep their opening assignments in Group C.
The 2-0 start assured Gilas Women of a place in the play-ins while keeping its sights on the group’s top seed, which comes with a direct berth in the quarterfinals.
The men’s team also stunned Mongolia, 19-12, and lower-ranked Sri Lanka, 21-12, on Monday to make up for the Gilas Men’s disappointing performance that cost them the gold medal in these games.
The women’s 5×5 squad, on the other hand, suffered a 67-89 beating at the hands of host Japan for their first loss after beating Kazakhstanm, 86-58, and Hong Kong-China, 90-73, in Group A action.
Dela Rosa sprained her right ankle just two minutes into the game but still dominated inside to finish with 10 points and three rebounds.
‘It [injury] is not an excuse to stop fighting,’ Dela Rosa, 22, told One Sports. ‘I came back and we got the win.’
‘I saw my team and the opponents were up already, that’s where I got my rhythm…they need me inside,’ said the Ateneo standout who was part of the gold medal-winning 3×3 team in the Bangkok2025 Southeast Asian Games.
With Dela Rosa controlling the paint, the nationals erased an 8-5 deficit and unleashed a 10-3 run to move ahead, 15-11, with 1:03 left before holding off the Mongolians the rest of the way.
Kennan Ka added three points, while Amyah Espanol and Victoria Pasilang contributed two apiece to secure the victory for coach Anton Altamirano’s squad.
‘Mongolia is one of the top teams in the world…and the first game’s always the hardest, but we were able to really manage good possessions, especially when Kacey was down,’ said Altamirano, who also praised Dela Rosa for battling through the injury. ‘We made really good stops to get the victory.’
‘She’s [dela Rosa] a tough girl. She’s been through stuff like this. It’s a testament to her character and mental toughness,’ he added.
Pasilang and Ka took charge in the second game as the Philippines dismantled Macau, with Pasilang pouring in eight points and Ka seven, as Dela Rosa was given limited playing time.
Dela Rosa still chipped in four points, though, while Espanol delivered an all-around performance with two points, eight rebounds and five assists to complete the sweep.
The Gilas Women will shoot for the No. 1 seed on Wednesday when they face fellow unbeaten Malaysia at 5:05 p.m. Malaysia also finished opening day at 2-0 after beating Macau, 14-3, and Mongolia, 17-11.
The Philippines, however, sits atop Group C by virtue of a superior point differential.