Gilas Men 3×3 escape Thailand scare, book Asia Cup main draw berth

Gilas Pilipinas Men 3×3 survived a furious Thailand rally, escaping with a 17–15 win to advance to the main draw of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026 on Thursday at OCBC Square in Singapore.

The Filipinos came out dominant against the defending Southeast Asian Games champions, building a 14–5 lead capped by a highlight deuce from Ralph Cu over the outstretched arms of Chanatip Jakrawan to beat the shot clock buzzer.

However, things unraveled for Gilas from there.

Jakrawan took matters into his own hands, spearheading Thailand’s comeback and capitalizing on Sean Alter’s miscues to cut the deficit to 15–13 after a thunderous jam.

Jerrick Ahanmisi briefly stopped the bleeding with a deuce, but Thailand’s surge continued.

(C) FIBA 3×3

Freddie Lish, who had been cold from deep all game, knocked down back-to-back baskets to trim the lead to two, 17–15, as Gilas struggled with rushed shots.

A shot clock violation with 4.3 seconds left gave Thailand a chance to steal the game, but Lish missed his attempt from beyond the arc, allowing Gilas to punch its ticket to the next round.

It was a team effort for Gilas against the Thais, with Cu scoring six points, Chris Koon adding five, and Ahanmisi contributing four.

Jakrawan led Thailand with seven points, while Lish finished with five.

The Philippines advances to Pool A alongside Mongolia and Chinese Taipei.

Gilas will face Mongolia at 6:40 p.m., followed by Chinese Taipei at 8:30 p.m. on Black Saturday.

(C) FIBA 3×3

Last year, Gilas Men failed to reach the main draw after bowing out in the qualifiers.

Both the Philippines and Thailand routed Maldives earlier in the day, setting up their do-or-die clash.

Alter scored 11 points in Gilas’ 21–16 (8:14) win over Maldives, while Lish fired five deuces to finish with 12 points in Thailand’s 21–11 victory in just 4:52.

Gilas Women will also see action on Saturday, taking on Tonga at 5:15 p.m. before facing defending champion Australia at 8:05 p.m.

The Scores:

QD-A first game:
Philippines 21 – Alter 11, Ahanmisi 4, Cu 3, Koon 3.
Maldives 16 – Yoosuf 10, Wajeeh 3, Ali 3, Irushan 0.
Time: Ahanmisi – 1 (1:46)

QD-A second game:
Thailand 21 – Lish 12, Jakrawan 5, Techasamran 3, Thongpool 1.
Maldives 11 – Ali 6, Irushan 5, Wajeeh 0, Yoosuf 0.
Time: Lish – 2 (5:08)

QD-A third game:
Philippines 17 – Cu 6, Koon 5, Ahanmisi 4, Alter 2.
Thailand 15 – Jakrawan 7, Lish 5, Thongpool 2, Techasamran 1.

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