Philippines bows out of 3×3 World Cup

Kiefer Ravena skies for a layup in the Philippines’ game against Slovenia. Photo by Fiba.com

The Philippines bowed out of contention in the 2017 Fiba 3×3 World Cup with a 14-21 defeat to second-seed Slovenia Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) at Parc des Chantiers de I’lle in Nantes, France.

Overwhelmed from the get-go by the powerhouse Slovenians, the Filipinos struggled to find their rhythm and found themselves down early, 5-0, before stumbling to a 14-4 deficit courtesy of Simon Finzgar’s hot shooting.

Kiefer Ravena rallied the troops and got the Philippines within four, 15-11, but Gasper Ovnik was quick to douse that run before Adin Kavgic iced the game from the free throw line with 1:20 left on the clock.

Ovnik and Finzgar fired seven points apiece, Anze Srebovt added four markers, and Kavgic had three for Slovenia, which topped Pool B with a 4-0 slate to advance to the tournament quarterfinals.

Ravena led the Philippines (1-2) with seven points, while Kobe Paras chipped in four markers from a pair of two-pointers.

Jeron Teng chimed in two points, while JR Quiñahan got one in the losing effort.

The Filipinos can still cap off the campaign on a positive note as they brace for El Salvador in the tournament closer.

The Scores:

SLOVENIA 21 – Ovnik 7, Finzgar 7, Srebovt 4, Kavgic 3.

PHILIPPINES 14 – Ravena 7, Paras 4, Teng 2, Quiñahan 1.