Top local team Uratex Dream and Japan’s Maurice Lacroix came out unscathed after day one of the Pilipinas United 3x3 League on Saturday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
Chinese reinforcement Renzhu Li was good as advertised for Uratex Dream, topping Pool A with an impressive 3-0 record after dominant wins over Jumpshot and Harimau Black, before a thrilling 16-15 come-from-behind victory over Kacey Dela Rosa and Gilas Pilipinas Women U23.
They now brace for Harimau Yellow in the knockout rounds.
Despite the loss, Gilas squad still came away with a 2-1 record behind Jhaz Joson to arrange a clash against Hanoi 3x3 by Amigos of Vietnam in the quarters.
Maurice Lacroix, meanwhile, showed no signs of exhaustion as they leaned on Naoko Honda to come out on top of Pool B and set up a quarterfinal duel against Jumpshot of Singapore.
Pilipinas Aguilas (Hoopjeep) and Harimau Black face off in the other final eight pairing in the women’s division, which dangles a cash prize of $3,000.
Over on the men's side, Half Court Group (Hoopjeep) Taho Story B, Solaris, and SBB of Japan earned outright quarterfinal seats after going undefeated through pool play.
Celebrity David Licauco had a solid debut for Taho Story A, which finished with a 1-1 record in the preliminaries and will meet Activate Sports in the qualification to the quarterfinals.
Other knockout games include Ninja Airs of Japan facing YouGuard, Kuala Lumpur versus Dame DOLLA of Vietnam, and AMG PT Clinic against Smile 360.
At stake is the $5,000 cash prize for the men’s division and a spot in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour Kaohsiung Challenger in October, with the top local team also booking a seat in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour Manila Challenger in September.