Tonga women made history while the the Philippines men delivered a clutch upset at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also making headway in the the Qualifying Draw that concluded in emphatic fashion were the Malaysian women and Korean men.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tonga produced one of the defining moments of the day, advancing to the main draw for the first time in their history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They opened with a 13-4 win over Maldives in a controlled, low-scoring contest before stepping up offensively in a 15-7 victory over Macau to seal qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With disciplined defense and scoring, Tonga finished unbeaten and secured a landmark breakthrough for the program. They join Australia and Philippines in Women’s Pool D.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Philippines men saved their best for last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After opening the day with a 21-16 win over Maldives, they faced a decisive showdown against Thailand, and they Filipinos delivered under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Led by Raphael Cu, the Philippines stormed to a strong start, building a 14-6 lead midway behind hot shooting. Thailand responded with a late push, cutting the deficit to 15-13 with under two minutes remaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the Philippines held firm. They closed out a 17-15 victory, surviving a final possession as Thailand missed a potential game-tying two-pointer. The result sealed their place in the Main Draw. The Philippines now advance to Men’s Pool A, where they will face Mongolia and Chinese Taipei.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Malaysian women also impressed, going 2-0 to top their Qualifying Draw group and advance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leading the charge was Foo Suet Ying, who scored 15 total points across two games, including a 9-point performance against India. She knocked down six two-pointers, providing consistent scoring throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Malaysia held off India 16-13 before pulling away late in a 21-9 win over Turkmenistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They advance to Women’s Pool B, where they will face Mongolia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Korea men were among the standout teams of the day, delivering two dominant wins to secure their place in the Main Draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leading the way was Lee DongGeun, who was a high-flying scoring machine across two games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Korea dismantled Vietnam 21-7 before following it up with a 21-11 win over Tonga, completing a perfect run. Korea join Japan and Singapore in Men’s Pool C.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tonga women made history while the the Philippines men delivered a clutch upset at the FIBA 3×3 Asia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11178,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[94,52],"class_list":["post-11177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-3-x-3","tag-basketball"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t