Philippines' 3x3 Team Opens Tournament with Two Straight Victories

The Philippine men’s 3x3 squad kicked off its campaign in the 30th Southeast Asian Games on a rousing note after it swept its first two games on Sunday at the Arena in San Juan City.

The Philippines took down Indonesia, 21-17, before routing Myanmar, 21-10, in the inaugural 3x3 tournament of the biennial meet.

Left-handed forward Jason Perkins led the Filipinos in scoring, scoring nine points highlighted by three straight clutch baskets against the Indonesians, before putting up 10 markers against Myanmar.

CJ Perez averaged seven points in the first two games.

The top four from the seven-team field play in the crossover semifinals on Monday.

The Philippines actually had a sluggish start in their game versus Indonesia as they trailed, 0-4, before eventually hitting their stride to grab hold of a 16-12 lead. Indonesia knocked down two shots from beyond the arc to tie the game up at 16-all before Chris Newsome and Perkins combined for some winning plays down the stretch to hack out the victory.

The Philippines had very little trouble against Myanmar as they dominated the shaded lane to pick up its second straight win.

(Photo from Gilas Pilipinas Facebook page)