Manila falls in FIBA 3x3; Novi Sad wins

MANILA, Philippines - Kranj of Slovenia shut down Manila West in the last five minutes and came away with a 21-12 victory, ending the Filipino cagers’ bid in the quarterfinal round of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Finals at the Xebio Sports Arena in Sendai, Japan yesterday.

But the Slovenians ran into a red-hot Novi Sad later in the day and dropped a 13-22 setback while Saskatoon of Canada held off Bucharest, 19-16, in the other semifinal duel.

The Serbians, however, lived up to the hype as the top 3x3 team in the world as they blasted the Canadians, 21-11, to claim the crown worth $20,000 and a ticket to the FIBA 3x3 All-Stars set in Doha, Qatar this December.

Earlier, the third-ranked Slovenians, who swept Pool C to draw Manila West, the No. 2 team from Pool B, in the quarters, took control when the Filipinos slackened in defense and struggled in offense in the final half.

The quartet of KG Canaleta, Aldrech Ramos, Rey Guevarra and Terrence Romeo failed to score in the final 5:13, cutting short their fightback from 6-11 down to within 12-14.

Guevarra, the Meralco Bolts forward, came off the bench to score six straight points with two long two-pointers to threaten Kranj, the runner-up in the Lausanne Masters.? ?

But Manila West, which beat Sao Paolo in its first game, failed to sustain their charge.? The Filipinos were a step slow on defense and found trouble managing the 10-second shot clock and getting off shots against the taller and heavier Slovenians.?

“They not only big but also heavy,” said Canaleta, now with the NLEX Road Warriors, as he got tossed around under the basket by 6-foot-8 Jure Erzen or 6-foot-5 Mensud Julevic when he was not sprinting to put a hand on hotshot Dario Krejic who accounted for six of Kranj’s last eight points.? 

Romeo tied the count at three and put Manila West in the thick of the fight, 6-5 and 8-6, before the Slovenians took advantage of two defensive lapses by the Filipinos to score three quick points and open up an 11-6 advantage.