The Gilas Pilipinas Women’s team fell short of their comeback in their 2nd game in the FIBA Asia Cup last night, July 14, going up against Akatsuki Five of Japan.
A Better Showing of #WeBelong Mantra Against Japan
After being crushed by the No. 2 Opals of Australia, the Philippines found themselves in a similar situation against Japan as they faced a 22-point lead, 83-61, to begin the 4th quarter.
However, Gilas came alive behind the leadership of veteran and star player, Jack Animam. She sparked a stunning 18-0 run that stunned the Japanese side and closed the gap to just four points, 79-83, with 15 seconds left in regulation. Animam had a chance to cut the lead further from the free throw line, but managed only a split.
Gilas’ swarming defense clamped down on Japan’s offense during the rally, holding them scoreless from the field for the final five minutes and 37 seconds. But despite the inspired run, the Filipinas were forced to play the foul game to extend the clock. Monica Okoye calmly knocked down both of her free throws with 12.1 seconds left to seal the win for Japan. Vanessa De Jesus hit a corner triple at the buzzer to finalize the scoreline.
FINAL SCORE: 85-82
Maki Takada and Minami Yabu made it rain for the Akatsuki, converting five three-pointers each to finish with 20 and 15 points, respectively, in the victory.
“Well again, it’s a tough loss. But a good bounce back from yesterday’s game. I think the girls [have] more grit now, they’re playing together and hopefully, we get one more game as good as this and we’ll be okay,” said Gilas head coach Pat Aquino from a story in Tiebreaker Times.
And after the loss, here’s what Jack Animam has to say:
“I’m just so proud of them, because we rise up to the challenge and even we lost, it still feels like a win for us because of how we played together and how we bounced back from yesterday’s loss.” she said in an interview from One Sports.
“First of all, congrats to Japan. You know, Japan is Japan and us coming in as an underdog and all of my teammates are [young]. I think we’re the youngest team here. Before the game, I just told them the game is gonna be hard but no matter what we have to fight and take pride with what we do,” she added.
Here are the stats of Gilas members in their 2nd game:
- Jack Animam – 24 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and 2 blocks
- Vanessa De Jesus – 13 points, a rebounds, and 6 assists
- Naomi Panganiban – 13 points (3-of-5 from 3-pointers), 3 rebounds, 2 assists
- Sumayah Sugapong – 12 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals
- Angelica Surada – 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals
- Khate Castillo – 5 points
- Quinn Kacey Dela Rosa – 4 points, 7 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals, 2 blocks
- Ella Fajardo – 3 points and a steal
Japan, now 2-0 in Group B, The Akatsuki are set for a top-seed showdown against Australia. Meanwhile the Philippines, who’s now 0-2, must defeat Lebanon on Wednesday, July 16, to keep their quarterfinals hopes alive as well as a potential ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifying tournament.
