Gilas Women Top Pool, Advance to Semis in 3x3 World Cup Qualifiers

Just a week after earning a historic silver medal at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup, Gilas Pilipinas Women continued their impressive run by securing a spot in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIBA 3x3 World Cup Qualifiers on Saturday at OCBC Square in Kallang, Singapore.

The Filipinas finished as the top seed in Pool B, despite a 1–1 record, surviving a tense three-way tie to remain in contention for a World Cup berth.

Gilas’ campaign started with a narrow 16–13 loss to Brazil, where they struggled to contain Gabriela Guimarães, who led all scorers with 10 points. Afril Bernardino and Tantoy Ferrer provided the bulk of the offense, each scoring five points, but the team couldn’t close out the game.

Facing elimination in their second match, the Filipinas responded with composure, overcoming Singapore 21–19. Kacey dela Rosa proved clutch, scoring the last two baskets for Gilas, including the game-winning shot with 29 seconds left. Dela Rosa finished with 11 points, keeping the Philippines in the race.

The final Pool B game saw Singapore defeat Brazil 15–13 in a thrilling finish, which resulted in a three-way tie at 1–1. Ultimately, the Philippines and Singapore advanced due to superior total points scored across all matches, each finishing with 34 points, while Brazil was eliminated with just 29 points.

With the outcome, Gilas Pilipinas Women advance to the semifinals, where they will face world No. 22 Lithuania at 6:25 p.m. Singapore time. The other semifinal will see Singapore face world No. 13 Hungary at 6:00 p.m.

The winners of both semifinals will secure direct qualification to the FIBA 3x3 World Cup, which will take place from June 1–7 in Warsaw, Poland. The losing teams will still have one final opportunity, facing off in a knockout match for the remaining qualification spot.

Against Brazil, Guimarães led the way with 10 points, while Bernardino and Ferrer scored five points each for Gilas.

In their crucial win over Singapore, Dela Rosa spearheaded the offense with 11 points, with Cacho adding four and Bernardino and Ferrer contributing four and two points, respectively.