PH misses out on SEA Games 3×3 medal for first time as Gilas Men fall short of bronze

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Unbeaten in the group stage, Gilas 3x3 Men fall prey to Singapore in the semifinals then absorb a 'really painful' loss to Malaysia in the battle for SEA Games bronze

BANGKOK, Thailand – Gilas Pilipinas’ 3×3 squads will go home empty-handed from the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.

This comes after Gilas 3×3 Men fell short of the bronze medal after a stinging 21-19 loss to Malaysia at the Nimibutr Stadium here on Thursday, December 11. 

“I don’t have any words right now except we tried to get the win, but as everybody says, things happen,” said big man Ange Kouame. “This loss is really painful for us.” 

The quartet of Kouame, Joseph Sedurifa, Joseph Eriobu, and would-be UAAP MVP Janrey Pasaol had looked like they were primed to go all the way after they swept the group stage with wins over Vietnam, Malaysia, and Laos.

But their title aspirations were dashed in a flash following a stunning 21-20 loss to Singapore in the semifinals earlier on Thursday.

And then the Malaysians got their revenge, beating the Filipinos by the same score that they lost to in the group phase. 

“We fought ’til the end. We made a couple of mistakes,” said Kouame. 

“In the game of 3×3, there’s different situations, it might be up, it might be down. We came as a team but it wasn’t enough. That’s all I can say.”

With Gilas 3×3 Women unable to make it past the group round, the Philippines has failed to win a medal in 3×3 basketball for the first time since the sport was introduced in the SEA Games in 2019.

The Philippines won double gold in 2019, salvaged a men’s bronze in Vietnam 2021, then got a pair of silvers in Cambodia 2023. – Rappler.com