THE Gilas Pilipinas Women marched to the 3x3 basketball finals of the 30th Southeast Asian Games after eliminating Vietnam, 21-12, in the semifinals on Monday at the Arena in San Juan City.
The fourth-seeded Vietnam put up a gallant stand to keep the game tied at 12-all, but Janine Pontejos caught fire with six points in a closing 9-0 run that assured the hosts of at least a silver medal in the inaugural SEA Games 3x3 tournament.
Pontejos, misfiring early in the game, delivered the winning shot from beyond the arc off Afril Bernardino’s clutch block to dispatch the Vietnamese with 3:15 to spare.
The Philippines will now face Thailand in the winner-take-all finals at 3:40 p.m.
Thailand earned the last finals berth after beating Malaysia in overtime, 16-14. The Thais dealt Gilas Women their lone loss of the elimination round, 20-22, in overtime.
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