At A Glance
- The Gilas Pilipinas women's team made a significant leap in the FIBA world rankings, climbing five spots to No. 39 following a strong showing in Division A of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup last month.
(FIBA)
The Gilas Pilipinas women’s team made a significant leap in the FIBA world rankings, climbing five spots to No. 39 following a strong showing in Division A of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup last month.
The Nationals finished sixth in the continental tournament after reaching the quarterfinals, improving from their previous world ranking of No. 44 in the latest update released last week.
Gilas Women remained seventh in the Asia-Oceania region, with Australia maintaining its grip on the No. 2 spot globally behind top-ranked USA. Asian powerhouse China also held firm at No. 4, just behind third-ranked France.
Rounding out the top 10 are Belgium, Spain, Canada, Nigeria, Brazil, and Serbia. Meanwhile, Japan, the third-best team in Asia, slipped two places to No. 11 from its previous No. 9 ranking.
South Korea, New Zealand, and Chinese Taipei are the only Asia-Pacific teams currently ranked ahead of Gilas Women, placing 15th, 21st, and 36th, respectively.
Despite missing key players Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos, and Chack Cabinbin who were unavailable due to military duties, the Nationals managed to hold their ground in tournament with a 1-4 record to keep their spot in the Division.
More importantly, their thrilling 93-90 victory over Lebanon guaranteed the Filipina cagebelles a spot in the qualifying tournament for the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
The team featured rising stars Naomi Panganiban, Sumayah Sugapong, Kacey Dela Rosa, and Kent Pastrana alongside Gilas veterans Vanessa De Jesus and Jack Animam.