Macmac Tallo hit the biggest shot of the tournament so far, as he made a deuce to give Cebu Chooks a thrilling 21-19 victory over Zavkhan MMC Energy to enter the 2022 Chooks-to-Go FIBA 3x3 World Tour Manila Masters playoffs on Saturday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
The Philippines' top 3x3 player swished the game-winning deuce to put down the hard-working Mongolians, which led for most of the game before falling to Tallo’s heroics.
Tallo finished with three points, three rebounds, and four assists in the gritty breakthrough following a tough loss to Ub Huishan NE earlier.
Nzeusseu top-scored for Cebu with nine points and four rebounds. The 6-foot-7 Cameroonian was pivotal down the stretch, scoring three straight to turn a two-point deficit to a 19-18 lead for his side with 1:06 remaining.
Ramirez supplied seven points, as Zach Huang chimed in three markers in the victory that pushed them into the knockout quarterfinals.
Cebu will take on Liman Huishan NB in the next round tomorrow. The world no. 3 emerged as the top seed of Pool C after sweeping both of its games.
Batzayaa Tsermaa and Avirmed Lhagvaa finished with six points each to lead Zavkhan, who bowed out of the tilt winless. It lost to Ub earlier, 21-13.
That win by Ub made it the first team to reach the quarters as the Serbian squad topped Pool A with a clean 2-0 card.
Liman followed suit, and then Ulaanbaatar MMC Energy after it beat Zaisan MMC Energy, 22-17, to rule Pool C.