AFTER hurdling the qualifying draw, the Gilas Pilipinas men's 3x3 shifts its focus to the next target in the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Singapore - the quarterfinals of the main draw.
The PBA 3x3-represented Gilas ballers gun for one of the two Last-8 seats at stake in Saturday's Group C hostilities, where they're up against host Singapore and 2019 bronze medalist China.
The Philippine crew of TnT's Almond Vosotros, Lervin Flores and Samboy de Leon and Purefoods' Joseph Eriobu take on Singapore's Lim Jun Yuan, Mah Jun Hao, Brandon Tan Kian Seng and Jovi Lim Wee Kiat in its opening assignment at 3:35 p.m.
The Filipinos then return to the half-court over five hours later at 9: 25 p.m. for their explosive showdown with China's towering bets of twins Jiaren Zhao and Jiayi Zhao, Zeyi Liu and Junhu Lyu.
The Top 2 finishers in this group move forward to the quarterfinals against their counterparts from Group A, which is composed of top seed Mongolia, India and Korea. The Group C topnotcher will face the Group A No. 2 while the Group C second-placer will meet Group A supremo in a crossover KO for a semis ticket.
Sponsored content: Gilas 3x3 is looking to sustain the momentum from Thursday's qualifiers, where it scored dramatic victories over Jordan (on an Eriobu two-ball), 21-19, and Southeast Asian rival Indonesia (on a Vosotros late barrage), 21-15.
The tall Chinese are also seeking the same after demolishing Tonga, 21-6, and Sri Lanka, 21-8 in a sweep of the Group H qualifiers.
Home bet Singapore, meanwhile, plunges into action for the first time, having been seeded straight into tournament proper. (OL)
