It was a tale of two Gilas teams, with the senior women’s squad taking a beating in Mexico while the U23 3×3 crew hoisted the Philippine flag high at Stop 3 of the FIBA tournament in Malaysia.
In the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, Gilas Pilipinas followed its disappointing loss to host Mexico with another bruising defeat, getting drubbed by Canada, 85-38.
The Filipinas were practically frozen in the opening half, managing only 11 points against Canada’s 46. They nearly tripled their output after the break, but Canada’s defense remained as stingy as ever.
Vanessa de Jesus led the Philippines with nine points, including two three-pointers on four attempts. Gilas will face Senegal on Friday in a final bid to salvage a win, although its chances of advancing from the eight-team group have effectively evaporated. Only the tournament champion will earn a ticket to the 2028 Olympics.
While the senior team struggled to find its rhythm, the U23 3×3 women found theirs in Malaysia.
Kennan Ka, Amyah Espanol, Jam Meniano, and Victoria Pasilang captured the Stop 3 championship of the FIBA 3×3 Nations League Asia SEA, beating Chinese Taipei, 17-14, in the final.
The triumph was a quick rebound from the Philippines’ fourth-place finish in Stop 2 on Tuesday and marked the team’s second stop title in three days.
Espanol paced the winners with six points, including two free throws that stretched the Philippine lead to 16-11 with 1:47 remaining. Pasilang added five points as the Filipinas kept Chinese Taipei at arm’s length.
The second title also strengthened the Philippines’ grip on the conference standings, with Gilas U23 Women extending its lead over Chinese Taipei to 260-230.
The U23 men finally joined the celebration, breaking through for their first stop victory.
So while the senior Gilas women are searching for answers in Mexico, the younger 3×3 generation is already providing plenty of them.l
