Though faring better compared to the 91-point beatdown they received against China, Gilas Pilipinas Women still suffered a 56-120 defeat at the hands of world no. 3 Australia, Wednesday morning (Manila time) at the Prince Hamza Hall in Amman, Jordan.
The loss dropped Gilas Women to 0-2 in Group B, forcing the Philippines to a knockout game against Chinese Taipei on Thursday midnight. Chinese Taipei lost to Australia on opening day 65-76 before getting blown out by China, 50-124.
“It’s really hard,” said Gilas Women head coach Patrick Aquino. “It’s a tough group we are in. And being the smallest in the group and having games against more experienced players than us, we’ll try to get there. We hope that we could be competitive in the future.”
Up by 12 entering the second frame, the Opals unleashed a 15-0 run which blazed a 32-point quarter while limiting Gilas to just 13 points to seize an imposing 33-64 lead.
The Aussies dominated the floor, limiting the Philippines to just 13 points once more in the third canto and just 10 in the final frame.
The Philippines only had 18 boards in the game, with Clare Castro accounting for six.
Photo by FIBA.basketball
Janine Pontejos paced the Philippines with 13 points on three triples, while rookie Kristine Cayabyab had 10 points. Afril Bernardino was limited to just eight points as she was plagued with fouls all game long.
“Again, having the girls play and getting experience against those two tough teams, we would like to move on and adjust and just compete,” said Aquino.
Lauren Nicholson led Australia with 21 points, while Keely Froling added 19 points and 13 boards.
Alex Sharp, Lauren Scherf, and Darcee Garbin all had 12 points each.
NY Liberty’s Samantha Whitcomb also had herself a game with eight points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
Australia takes on China later in the day, with the winner gaining an outright semis berth.
The Scores:
Philippines 56 — Pontejos 13, Cayabyab 10, Bernardino 8, Nabalan 8, Castillo 6, Clarin 6, Castro 3, Cabinbin 2, Tongco 0, Fajardo 0, Prado 0.
Australia 120 — Nicholson 21, Froling 18, Garbin 12, Sharp 12, Scherf 12, Shelley 10, Melbourne 9, Whitcomb 8, Mangakahia 7, Aokuso 4, Wehrung 4, Wallace 3.
Quarterscores: 20-32, 33-64, 46-91, 56-120.
