Gilas Women Close 3x3 World Cup with Historic Win Over Italy

Although Gilas Pilipinas Women fell short of advancing to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Cup, they ended their campaign on a high note with a landmark victory in Warsaw.

The Filipinas claimed their first-ever FIBA 3x3 World Cup win by defeating Italy, 17-13, on Wednesday evening (Manila time) at the Palace of Culture and Science in Poland. The triumph offered a bright ending to their tournament run, erasing the memory of their winless debut in the 2018 edition held in Bulacan.

Camille Clarin led the breakthrough performance, scoring eight points, including four two-point conversions, in another encouraging step in her return from an ACL injury sustained last year.

Veteran Afril Bernardino contributed an all-around effort with four points and six rebounds, while Mikka Cacho and Kacey Dela Rosa added three and two points, respectively.

The game remained tightly contested late, with the Philippines clinging to an 11-10 lead with just over two minutes left. Consecutive baskets from Cacho and Bernardino gave the Filipinas some breathing room, despite Italy’s efforts to stay close through Maria Miccoli and Caterina Gilli. Clarin sealed the historic win with her fourth two-pointer, sinking it with 20 seconds remaining.

Earlier in the day, the Filipinas’ hopes of advancing ended with a 20-12 loss to China. Bernardino and Dela Rosa scored four points each, but China’s experienced lineup, led by Wang Lili with seven points and seven rebounds, controlled the match. Li Yuyan contributed five points, while Zhang Zhiting and Li Wenxia added four apiece.

The Philippines opened Pool C with losses against Latvia, 14-11, and Germany, 22-10, before finally breaking through against Italy. Germany swept the group to secure an automatic quarterfinal berth, while Latvia and China advanced to the play-in round. Italy finished at the bottom.

Though their World Cup journey ended in the preliminaries, Gilas Women leave Warsaw with a milestone victory that provides momentum as they set their sights on future international competitions, including the 2027 FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Singapore.