Gilas Pilipinas Women endured a tough start to their 44th William Jones Cup campaign, falling to host Chinese Taipei, 59-85, on Wednesday at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
After keeping it close in the first half, 39-35, the Filipinas couldn’t keep pace as the home side broke the game wide open with a dominant second-half performance, outscoring Gilas 46-24 in the final two quarters.
Chinese Taipei found its rhythm behind the hot shooting of Wen-Yu Lin and Ling-Chuan Huang, who combined for three triples. They also got steady contributions from Sidney Cooks, Yu-Ting Lin, and Peng Shiqing.
That collective surge helped them build a 63-46 cushion entering the final period.
Jack Animam led the charge for Gilas with 18 points on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting clip, while also collecting nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Vanessa De Jesus got off to a fast start, knocking down three of her first four shots for seven early points. However, her momentum fizzled as she missed her next eight attempts and failed to score again.
Ella Fajardo added 10 points in the loss, while fellow Gilas Girls standouts Louna Ozar and Sumayah Sugapong chipped in seven points apiece.
The Filipinas will look to bounce back and notch their first win tomorrow when they take on Thailand at 4:00 PM.
Thailand is also coming off a heavy 49-103 defeat to Japan’s Universiade team.
American center Sidney Cooks powered Chinese Taipei with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Wen-Yu Lin followed suit with 14 points and four boards, while Wei-Ching Liao added 10 points and six rebounds.
Ling-Chuan Huang also contributed across the board with nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists.
