Gilas men edge Taiwanese to book Asian Games 3x3 semis berth

MANILA, Philippines -- A medal is within reach for Gilas Pilipinas in the 3x3 basketball court. 

Gilas is headed to the semifinal round of the men's 3x3 basketball tournament after a hard-fought win over defending champions Chinese Taipei, 21-19, Thursday at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue in Japan. 

The Philippines lost a 12-6 lead but managed to pull out the necessary stops late to grab the victory and a historic semifinal berth in the Asiad. This is the first time the country reached the Final Four in the meet. 

Nic Cabanero powered the Philippines with eight points to go with two rebounds. Luis Pablo backstopped with six points and six rebounds, including the game-winner.

Cabanero waxed hot in the early moments of the game, hitting back-to-back 2-pointers to give Gilas the 12-6 lead. 

Slowly, though, Chinese Taipei grinded themselves out of the hole. 

A free throw by Wei-chieh Yeh pushed Chinese Taipei ahead, 18-17, with 1:17 remaining. 

But a clutch 2-pointer by Dungo gave the Philippines the lead, 19-18, although a flop call led to another free throw by Yeh to tie things up anew. 

With the ballgame going into deep waters, Gilas tightened up on defense, forcing Chun-sheng Chang and Yeh into misses. 

A clutch floater by Koji Buenaflor, then, gave the Philippines the upper hand, 20-19, with 38.1 seconds left.

Misses by Yeh and Chang from deep missed once again, but a timely turnover by Cabanero on the inbound gave Taipei one more chance. 

Chang’s 2-pointer, though, rattled off the rim. 

After a huge rebound by Buenaflor, the ball went to the hands of Pablo, who left his defender with a strong drive and a layup for the win. 

Dungo had five for the winning team, while Buenaflor had two markers and 10 boards.

Yeh paced Chinese Taipei with 10 points while Chang produced five. 

The Philippines, however, will have a tough matchup in the semifinals, going against either Pool D leader Korea or China.