They say a loss is a loss — but for Gilas Pilipinas Women’s team captain Jack Animam, their defeat at the hands of World No. 9 Japan felt nothing short of a victory.
Struggling to keep up against one of the best teams in the world for most of the match, the Philippines showed immense heart in a late fightback that saw them trim a 22-point, 61-83 deficit down to just four, 79-83, setting up a dramatic finish that had the Akatsuki on its heels
Animam powered Gilas to a blistering 18-0 run that transformed what once seemed like a hopeless, one-sided contest into a nail-biting thriller. She rallied the young and determined Philippine side as they clawed their way back into the game and gave the powerhouse Japanese squad an unexpected scare.
But the Philippines’ valiant comeback ultimately ran out of time.
Monica Okoye calmly sealed the win for Japan with two clutch free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining, following an intentional foul by Sumayah Sugapong to stop the clock.
Vanessa De Jesus buried a corner three at the buzzer, but the Akatsuki held on to remain unbeaten in the tournament.
“Even though we lost, it still feels like a win for us because of how we played together and how we bounced back from yesterday’s loss,” said Animam after the heartbreaking 82-85 loss in the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup on Monday.
“I’m just so proud of them because, you know, we rose up to the challenge,” she added.
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The 6-foot-5 center out of National University delivered a game-high 24 points, 10 of which came in the final frame, on 55.6-percent shooting. She also had 14 rebounds in almost 30 minutes of action.
It was a huge bounce-back performance for Animam after being held to just two points on 1-of-11 shooting in their disappointing 76-point blowout loss to World No. 2 Australia yesterday.
Head coach Pat Aquino praised the 26-year-old Jack Animam for embracing the leadership mantle and setting the tone for this young Gilas squad.
“I think with Jack’s experience playing for us at a very young age — she started very young, so she knows the feeling of playing in games like this, especially in FIBA. With Jack there as a leader and probably a mentor for the young girls, it has a very, very big effect on them,” said Aquino.
“And with her there all the time, guiding them, I think we have a future again for women’s basketball in the Philippines,” he added.
For her part, Animam said she couldn’t feel prouder of the heart and grit her young teammates displayed, especially in going toe-to-toe with a far more experienced Japan squad on one of the biggest stages in Asian basketball.
“First of all, congratulations to Japan. You know, Japan is Japan. And us coming in as underdogs — all of my teammates… I think we’re the youngest team here. Before the game, I just told them that it’s going to be hard, but no matter what, we have to fight and take pride in what we do,” said Animam.
Now with back-to-back losses to open their FIBA Asia campaign, Animam and the rest of Gilas still have one last shot at making it to the playoffs if they can get past Lebanon — and they feel determined to leave everything on the floor to keep their hopes alive.
