Gilas Women fall short of Asian Games 3×3 gold vs hot-shooting Japan

SQUAD. Gilas Women in action in the women's 3x3 basketball competition in the 2026 Asian Games.

PSC-POC Media Pool

Kacey dela Rosa puts Gilas Women on her back, but Japan proves too much to handle, pulling away for the convincing win behind its hot shooting to deal the Philippines its only loss in the Asian Games

MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Women fell short of the Philippines’ third gold medal in the 2026 Asian Games after a stinging 21-11 loss to host Japan in the women’s 3×3 basketball final at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue in Nagoya on Friday, September 25.

Kacey dela Rosa put the the Filipinas on her back with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but the Japanese proved too much to handle, pulling away for the convincing win behind their hot shooting from beyond the arc.

Yuki Hirashita and Sakura Horiuchi fired 9 and 8 points, respectively, and each sank three two-pointers — the two taking turns in torching the Philippines.

Dela Rosa kept Gilas Women within striking distance with a bucket that cut their deficit to 8-12 before Japan closed out the win on a 9-3 run with 30 seconds to spare.

Hirashita scattered 5 points during that stretch, including the two-pointer that sealed the victory for Japan.

Amyah Espano put up 3 points and 3 rebounds in the silver finish, Kennan Ka added 2 points and 4 rebounds, while Maria Pasilang contributed 4 rebounds.

Despite the heartbreaking ending as they absorbed their only loss in the tournament, Gilas Women delivered the Philippines its first-ever 3×3 basketball medal in the Asian Games.

Meanwhile, Gilas Men missed out on the bronze after a 21-10 defeat to Iran. 

Doy Dungo churned out 4 points, Luis Pablo tallied 3 points and 2 rebounds, Nic Cabañero had 2 points and 1 rebound, while Koji Buenaflor chimed in 1 point for the Philippines.

It was a disappointing result for Gilas Men after they won their first four games only to drop their last two matches, losing to South Korea in the semifinals and then to Iran. – Rappler.com