Pontejos enters 3x3 WC shootout finals

Janine Pontejos still has a job to do on Day 5. Rick Dela Cruz (file photo)
By Ivan Saldajeno

BOCAUE--Janine Pontejos gave the Filipino fans another reason to watch the final day of the FIBA 3x3 World Cup even if both the Philippine national teams are already out of contention.

The Perlas gunner moved on to the finals of the two-point shootout after the second round of competition on Monday night.

Pontejos actually took part in the first round of the shootout on Sunday, drilling six deuces.

Alexandra Stolyar of Russia, however, got a higher score in the Monday shootout with seven, earning her the top seed in the championship round.

Pontejos ended up in a tie with China's Jiang Jiaying, who also made six long toms, but Pontejos made her six 22-footers in just 22 seconds, eight seconds faster than Jiang, giving her the other spot.

The shootout finals on Independence Day Tuesday will be a boys-versus-girls battle as Pontejos and Jiang will be joined by Croatia's Marin Hrvoje and Russia's Maksim Dybovskii, who both ruled the men's shootout.

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