Asian Games: Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 Men beat Mongolia, Sri Lanka to open bid - GMA Network

Nic Cabañero and Koji Buenaflor flaunted a familiar chemistry to steer Gilas Pilipinas Men to an unbeaten start in the 2026 Asian Games 3x3 men's basketball on Monday in Japan.

The past and present University of Santo Tomas stars powered Gilas to a pair of victories over Mongolia and Sri Lanka that sent the Philippines to a 2-0 start in Pool A.

Cabañero led the way in their 19-12 win against Mongolia, dropping seven points laced with five rebounds while Buenaflor chipped in six markers to go along with four boards. Luis Pablo and Andrei Dungo, both currently playing for the De La Salle University, chimed in with three points apiece to help the cause.

The Filipinos initially found themselves in a 1-3 hole to open the game, but they turned things around and gained a 7-6 lead after a Pablo basket at the 6th minute mark.

Buenaflor then sank back-to-back baskets for a 9-6 cushion before Cabañero, who had just set a new scoring record in the MPBL two weeks ago, stretched it to a 12-7 advantage with four minutes left.

Gilas never looked back since then to put away the Mongolians and open its campaign on an impressive note.

Gilas then picked up where it left off against Sri Lanka later in the day, pulling off a dominant 21-12 win to cap off the opening day with an unscathed record.

Cabañero once again showed the way with eight points and two rebounds while both Buenaflor and Pablo churned out six markers as they dispatched Sri Lanka with still 2:48 left to play.

Gilas will next face Kazakhstan on Wednesday in bid to complete a preliminary round sweep ahead of the playoffs.