Gilas Women’s gallant stand was not enough to topple the Tall Ferns of New Zealand, bowing 78-83, to fall to the battle for fifth in the 2023 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup on Friday at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre.
A spot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament was also at stake in the game.
It was arguably the best performance of the Filipinas despite the loss with the game seeing 11 lead changes and the Philippines even leading for a total of seven minutes and 53 seconds.
“Well, we just fell short. It was a good game for us and we competed. We can now say that we can compete with the best of the best in Asia,” said Gilas Women head coach Patrick Aquino.
Coming into the game, the Philippines was ranked 42nd in the world while New Zealand was no. 29.
It was the composure of the Tall Blacks that made the difference in the endgame.
With the game knotted at 72-all with six minutes left, Gilas fell into foul trouble.
A basket by NCAA Division I Player of the Year Charlisse Leger-Walker with 2:45 left gave New Zealand an 81-74 lead.
It also did not help that Animam suffered her fourth foul with 4:05 remaining.
“We made crucial errors in the endgame. The free throws were a big disparity and we did that to ourselves. If we were composed, the game would have been different,” said Aquino.
Afril Bernardino gave the Philippines one last shot, swatting away a Penina Davidson attempt with 26 seconds left and NZ holding a five-point lead.
However, the Filipinas could not execute the offense as the Tall Ferns clogged the lanes.
Animam tallied a double-double for Gilas with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Afril Bernardino added 15 points and eight rebounds.
Jhazmin Joson provided the spark early, scoring 12 of her 15 points in the first half.
“I’m just proud of the girls. They did well,” said Aquino.
Vanessa De Jesus, who was in foul trouble as well, was limited to just four points on 2-of-10 shooting.
The Philippines will face the loser of the Australia-South Korea game on Saturday.
Charlisse Leger-Walker led New Zealand, dropping a tournament-high 34 points with six assists.
Akiene Tera Reed added 23 points and seven rebounds.
The Scores:
Philippines 78 – Bernardino 15, Joson 15, Animam 14, Castillo 9, Cabinbin 7, Pontejos 6, Ozar 4, De Jesus 4, Surada 2, Fajardo 2.
New Zealand 93 – Leger-Walker C. 34, Reed 23, Davidson 10, Tupaea 5, Dalton 4, Beck 3, Tamilo 2, Leger-Walker K. 2, McGoldrick 0, Stockill 0.
Quarterscores: 15-21, 45-41, 69-68, 78-83.
