Asian Games: Gilas Men 3x3 beats Kazakhstan to clinch quarterfinals berth

Gilas Pilipinas Men 3x3 pulled away late to carve out a 21-15 win over Kazakhstan and complete a group stage sweep of the 2026 Asian Games 3x3 men's basketball on Wednesday at the Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue in Japan.

It was a collective effort for the Filipinos, who unleashed an 8-3 closing run sparked by the De La Salle University tandem of Doy Dungo and Luis Pablo as they closed out the preliminaries with a clean 3-0 slate in Pool A.

The win allowed Gilas to earn its group's top seed and a quarterfinals ticket.

Nic Cabañero led the way with seven points, three rebounds, and one key assist while Dungo finished with six markers, including five of Gilas' last eight points, alongside three boards and two dimes.

Pablo chipped in five points as Koji Buenaflor rounded out the offense with a three-point outing highlighted by a two-handed slam early in the game.

Gilas encountered a flat start with Kazakhstan racing to an early 4-1 lead after a huge two-pointer from Timur Tangiyev. But the Filipinos flipped the switch thanks to a putback from Buenaflor and a two-pointer from Cabañero, which gave Gilas a 13-9 cushion.

Kazakhstan trimmed the gap to just one after a lucky basket from Artur Junussov, 13-12, but Gilas responded with a crucial 8-3 blast that sealed the victory with still 33 seconds to spare.

Gilas was coming off back-to-back wins over powerhouse Mongolia, 19-12, and Sri Lanka, 21-12.

See more photos from Gilas 3x3's campaign here:

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News