With a coveted ticket to the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament and their Division A status on the line, Gilas Women veteran and star center Jack Animam rose to the occasion.
Behind Animam’s clutch plays and dominant presence in the paint, the Philippines secured a hard-fought 73-70 victory over Lebanon in the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup on Wednesday afternoon at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in China, clinching a spot in the World Cup qualifiers.
Coming off back-to-back losses to powerhouses Australia and Japan, Animam bounced back from a scoreless third quarter against Lebanon, delivering when it mattered most in the fourth period.
Her heroics helped Gilas Women secure a top-six finish in the continental tournament — enough to earn a golden opportunity to compete for a spot in the 2026 Worlds.
More than just the ticket to the World Cup qualifying tournament, the win also ensured that the Philippines will remain in FIBA Asia’s Division A. It is a crucial achievement as the nation prepares to host the 2027 Women’s Asia Cup.
This marks the second consecutive edition that Gilas Women have successfully avoided the relegation game in Division A, continuing the momentum they began in the 2023 tournament held in Sydney, Australia.
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“I’m just so proud of the girls, just happy for the girls and the federation and the women’s basketball in the Philippines. I think this win represents everything that we’ve been working hard for the past 10 years or so,” Gilas Women head coach Pat Aquino said.
“We’re glad to be competing, and not just staying here in Division A, but we still have to improve more, and we hope we level up again soon.”
Lebanon briefly seized a 62-61 lead in the fourth quarter, but a timely four-point burst from Animam — capped by a key steal that led to an easy layup from Kacey Dela Rosa — swung the momentum back to the Philippines, giving them a 67-62 cushion with four minutes remaining.
Zena Elias and Maria Ghaleb responded with back-to-back inside conversions, trimming the deficit to 67-66. But Gilas’ young guns answered the call. Dela Rosa scored another layup, and Sumayah Sugapong calmly sank two crucial free throws to rebuild a five-point buffer, 71-66, with 2:18 left on the clock.
Lebanon refused to go quietly, with Rebecca Aki and Jillian Archer each splitting their free throws to narrow the gap to 71-70 with 35 seconds remaining. Yet each time Lebanon missed, Animam was there, securing critical defensive rebounds to deny any second-chance opportunities.
Those boards by the 6-foot-5 center proved to be crucial. On the other end of the court, Sugapong made a heroic dive for the near-turnover of De Jesus.
That was ultimately converted to two dagger free throws by Naomi Panganiban to put the finishing touches on a gritty Gilas Women win.
Panganiban led five Gilas Women players in double-figures with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Meanwhile, Animam tallied another double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds with five assists and three steals.
Sugapong also tallied 14 points with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Vanessa de Jesus battled through foul trouble to end the day with 13 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Dela Rosa chipped in 10 points, five rebounds, and three steals to round out the Philippines’ well-balanced attack.
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With a 1-2 record in Group B, Gilas Women will move on to face the second-placed team from Group A — which includes China, South Korea, New Zealand, and Indonesia — in a play-in matchup on Friday.
Meanwhile, the loss dropped Lebanon to the seventh-place classification game against the bottom team of Group A — a precarious position, as the last-place finisher of the tournament will be relegated to Division B in the next FIBA Asia cycle.
Archer paced Lebanon with a dominant double-double outing of 23 points and 10 rebounds with four assists and three steals.
Meanwhile, Aki struggled offensively with 13 points on 2-of-9 shooting but still made an impact with seven rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
