There was little Gilas Pilipinas could do to stop Canada’s onslaught, but Jack Animam refused to let the lopsided scoreline define the Philippines’ performance in their FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament for the 2028 Olympics matchup on Thursday.
Facing the world No. 7 Canadians, who paraded a roster filled with NCAA Division I players and WNBA talent, the Filipinas were simply up against a different level of size and athleticism.
Canada’s roster included Agot Makeer of South Carolina, Delaney Gibb of Brigham Young University, Sami Hill of Virginia Tech, Shaina Pellington of Arizona, Tara Wallack of Washington State University, Yvonne Ejim of Gonzaga, Jasmine Bascoe of Villanova, Syla Swords of Michigan, Avery Howell of Washington, Faith Dut of Florida, and Cearah Parchment of Illinois. Yvonne Ejim was also recently drafted by the Indiana Fever, while Kayla Alexander plays for the Toronto Tempo in the WNBA.
The Canadians’ depth and talent showed as they dominated the Philippines on the glass, 63-22, while forcing 23 turnovers that they converted into 26 points en route to an 85-38 rout at Arena Astros in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“Coach already talked about the numbers. It’s world No. 7, and most of these players are in the NCAA Division I level in school, and some of them are in the WNBA,” said Animam, who posted a team-best 11 points along with eight rebounds and four assists.
Still, the 27-year-old slotman saw something worth carrying into their next game—their fight.
“I think what matters the most is we never stopped playing,” she said.
(C) FIBA
After scoring just 11 points in the first half, Gilas made the necessary adjustments after the break and nearly tripled its output, scoring 27 points in the second half.
While the offensive surge did little to change the outcome, it gave the Filipinas a much-needed confidence boost as they showed more fight and put together better offensive possessions against a taller and more experienced Canadian side.
“For us to be here and play against them, that’s something. I know we made a lot of errors. Like Coach said, we’re the smallest team, but we couldn’t run. We made a good stop, but we just can’t convert it as a team,” said Animam.
“I think in the second half, we had some good flashes. We made a good stop, and we kind of ran into transition a little bit. That forced them to put their starting five back in the game. I think that’s something we can take away from this game and build on,” she continued.
“I mean, regardless of the number, you know, I know we made a lot of mistakes, but I think at the end of the day, what matters the most is the fight we put into the court. Like, we leave it all out there, like, no matter what happened.”
Gilas head coach BT Toews also found positives in the Filipinas’ lopsided loss, pointing to the team’s second-half response as a sign of progress despite the tough defeat.
“Not every part of the game is terrible. You can still be improving even in a lopsided game like today. I believe we are. I believe that our defense is getting better,” said the Canadian coach.
“I’m taking a long-term view. At the same time, like Jack said, we turned the page. We got another chance. Tomorrow is a chance to show what we can do. Hopefully, somehow in the next 24 hours, we find the energy to run again because we need to,” he added.
Now out of contention following Mexico’s win over Senegal, Gilas still has a chance to close out its campaign on a high note when it takes on Senegal on Friday morning.
