By MARK REY MONTEJO
Gilas Men absorbed back-to-back beatings to get booted out of contention in the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup on Saturday evening, March 30, in Singapore.
The Nationals first succumbed to powerhouse Australia, 21-13, before yielding to Japan, 22-12, to give Mau Belen her first taste of early elimination as coach of the squad.
The PH crew took an early 10-7 lead against Australia behind the efforst of Joseph Sedurifa and mainstay Ping Exciminiano, but the Aussies turned tables around when Todd Blanchfield caught fire and led a 12-3 blitz to grab the 19-13 cushion.
Blanchfield sank a dagger triple for the win, eventually pacing the Aussies with 13 points after going perfect in one-pointers (4-of-4) and 4-of-7 in two-pointers.
Cebuano standout Joseph Sedurifa finished with seven points built on three two-pointers, but it was not enought to douse the fire of the Aussies.
The Filipinos tried to regain their composure against Japan, but the Japanese displayed their dominance and took a quick 6-2 lead to dictate the tempo.
The Japanese led by as many as seven, 18-11, behind the hot hands of Thomas Kennedy and never looked back.
Kennedy topscored with 11 points on top of four rebounds while Ryuto Yasuoka chipped in eight points.
The Australians will face China while the Japanese meet Iran in the quarters.
