Slovenia proved to be too much for the Philippines and gave them their second consecutive loss after a 21-14 outing in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup tournament, Tuesday, June 20 (Wednesday in Manila time) at Nantes, France.
Bannered by collegiate standouts Kiefer Ravena and Jeron Teng, US collegiate campaigner Kobe Paras and Philippine Basketball Association veteran JR Quiñahan, the Philippine team, backed by Chooks-to-Go, now lies in third place with its day output.
Down 12-13, Paras, son of former PBA rookie-MVP Benjie Paras, ignited the comeback with a layup before Ravena completed an and-one play and added a two-pointer (a shot from the arc) for a 17-13 lead with 1:19 left.
Their men's team secured a 21-14 victory over The Philippines, before overcoming hosts France 19-17 to secure their fourth straight success.
The Filipinos will next face second-seeded Slovenia and 15th seeded El Salvador in Group B today.
Tropical Storm Cindy could form in the Gulf Tuesday
The hurricane center said that those two things are holding it back from becoming a true tropical storm and getting a name. On the current forecast track, the storm system will move toward the Louisiana coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Behind the 11th-ranked Anze Srebovt, the Slovenians scored the game's first five points then jumped to a 14-4 lead, capitalizing on the Philippines' shooting woes and sloppy play.
Slovenia takes the second spot following a win against El Salvador and Romania.
Only the top two teams from the group will advance in the quarterfinal round.
Qatar, who won the title in 2014 in Moscow under Yaseen Ismail Musa with an upset win over favourites and defending champions Serbia, had qualified for the knockout in Guangzhou, China, last year.
Comments