RJ Abarrientos willed an undermanned Gilas Pilipinas Men's 3x3 to its first win in the 2019 Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup, stunning Iran, 21-19, on Thursday in Changsha, China.
Despite a tweaked ankle, the FEU-Diliman guard fired 18 of the Filipinos' 21 points, including the game-clinching deuce from the right wing with 2:23 left on the clock.
That gave the Philippines its breakthrough win in the qualifying phase to go 1-2 in Draw A.
Barkley Ebona added a pair, as Rhayyan Amsali scored one.
Gilas Men's 3x3 played without flamboyant guard Ricci Rivero, who suffered a sprained ankle in day one of the qualifiers.
The Philippines tries to end its campaign on a good note when it faces Samoa at 12:20 p.m.
Ali Allahverdi and Amirhossein Azari both paced the Iranians with six points apiece.
The scores:
Philippines 21 - Abarrientos 18, Ebona 2, Amsali 1.
Iran 19 - Allahverdi 6, Azari 6, Sedighi 4, Ojaghi 3.
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