Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 men suffered a narrow 18-20 defeat to Thailand in the semifinals of the Asian Beach Games on Wednesday at the Sanya Sports Center Gymnasium in China. The Filipinos mounted a strong late push but ran out of time as Thailand held firm in the closing possessions.

The game was tightly contested early, with both teams locked at 12-12 before Thailand seized momentum in the middle stretch. Defensive lapses from Gilas allowed the Thais to pull away and build a significant cushion heading into the final minutes.

Late rally falls just short for Gilas

Gilas found itself trailing 13-19 before sparking a determined comeback led by Nic Cabanero inside the final three minutes. The Philippines tightened its defense and converted key possessions to cut the deficit down to just two points, 18-20.

Despite the surge, Gilas failed to convert on its final two possessions as Thailand’s defense held strong under pressure. The missed opportunities sealed the narrow loss and ended the Philippines’ bid for a finals appearance.

Manday acknowledged the team’s late effort but pointed to experience and execution as key factors in the defeat. He noted that defensive breakdowns earlier in the game allowed Thailand to build the gap that proved costly in the end.

“Sa dulo parang nakahabol kami pero we came short pa rin. Siguro more experience pa para sa amin,” Manday said. He added that execution issues also played a role, while crediting Thailand for their disciplined play throughout the contest.

“Siguro yung defense and yung plays namin hindi maitakbo. Credits rin sa Thailand talagang trinabaho rin nila,” he said.