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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Gilas Women hold off Lebanon, secure ticket in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

Gilas Women hold off Lebanon, secure ticket in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers

Published Jul 16, 2025 04:00 pm

At A Glance

  • Gilas Pilipinas stood firm under heavy pressure and essayed a pulsating 73-70 triumph over Lebanon for a crucial first win in the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup at the Shenzhen Sports Center in China Wednesday, July 16.
(FIBA)
(FIBA)
Gilas Pilipinas stood firm under heavy pressure and essayed a pulsating 73-70 triumph over Lebanon for a crucial first win in the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup at the Shenzhen Sports Center in China Wednesday, July 16.
Tied at 57-all, Sumayah Sugapong, Vanessa De Jesus, Jack Animam, Kacey Dela Rosa, and Naomi Panganiban connived and delivered the goods in the remaining minutes of the fourth to keep Nationals afloat despite several counters from the Jillian Archer-led Lebanese side.
The five Filipina cagers took charge down the stretch as they engineered the final assault which was highlighted by Sugapong and Panganiban who both delivered crucial free throws in the waning seconds that ultimately put Archer and Zena Elias’ efforts for the Cedars down to waste.
The victory secured the No. 44 Nationals a spot in a playoff game on Friday, July 18, with the winner advancing to the semifinals which is set on the following day.
Above all, Gilas earned its ticket for the World Cup Qualifiers as it assured itself finishing inside the Top Six, while also maintaining its spot in Division A for the next edition of the continental joust.
“I’m so proud of the girls, happy for the federation, happy for the women’s basketball in the Philippines, this win represents everything that we’ve been working hard for the last 10 years,” said head coach Pat Aquino.
"I won't take it away from Lebanon, they played well today, it just that luck falling on our side, we just have to keep going, improving and that's the goal right now for the team," he added.
“I think this is a really good game for us, it’s a huge team effort and I’m so proud of everybody… all the work is starting to pay off and I think we’ll keep surprising people,” De Jesus continued.
The charming 5-foot-7 Panganiban led the Filipina assault with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Sugapong, on the other hand, sizzled with 14 points on top of five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Kent Pastrana also contributed seven points.
Jack Aninam posted another impressive statline of 14 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and three steals. De Jesus had 13 points with decent distributions from other departments, while Dela Rosa added 10 points.
Archer anchored Lebanon with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Rebecca Akl and Elias provided support offensively with 13 and 10 points, respectively, in a losing cause.
Lebanon will be relegated to a classification match for 7th and 8th spots where it battles the bottom team from Group A.

Related Tags

Gilas Pilipinas Vanessa De Jesus Naomi Panganiban Jack Animam FIBA Women\'s Asia Cup Sumayah Sugapong
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