TNT Triple Giga, VN Red & Gold sweep Asia Tour 3×3 group phase

MANILA, Philippines – TNT Triple Giga continued to prove their worth even in another stage. 

TNT, a multi-time PBA 3×3 champion, swept Pool D to gain an outright quarterfinal berth in the men’s division of Asia Tour 3×3 on Saturday, April 22, at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Samboy de Leon took charge as TNT escaped the towering The Performance Lab, 21-15, to be one of the first four teams to advance in the final eight.

De Leon fired 6 points built on 2 deuces before Beninese big man Raoul Odou sealed the deal with an undergoal stab with 2:34 to spare.

It was a huge followup for TNT after earlier clipping Harimau Malaysia B, 21-13, to be the only Filipino team to go unbeaten in its group.

VN Red & Gold, Harimau Malaysia A, and Rising Star were the other unbeaten teams that booked outright quarterfinal tickets in this tourney.

The Vietnamese ruled Pool C after a 19-12 win over Singapore Lion and a close 21-18 escape from Cavitex Braves; Harimau A dominated Pool A with a 21-8 rout over Zamboanga Valientes and a 22-11 blowout of Gameville; and the Malaysian youth crew Rising Star stunned Happy Hotels, 20-15, and Demigod, 21-13, to reign Pool B.

The knockout quarterfinal games start at 2 pm in Sunday action of the tournament, which has SM as venue partner, Smart as broadcast partner, and Wilson as official gameball, with Heritage Hotel, Fiber Kinetics, Gatorade, Healthy & Pure Brand Water, Center for Culinary Arts, and Spurway Enterprises as sponsors.

Harimau A will take on Cavitex, which took down Demigod, 19-18; TNT will face Happy Hotels, which trounced Singapore Lion, 20-12; VN Red & Gold will meet Zamboanga Valientes, which clipped Harimau B, 21-16; and Rising Star collides with The Performance Lab, which blasted Gameville, 21-10. – Rappler.com