SHENZHEN – Gilas Girls moved closer to its goal after securing a semifinal ticket in Division B of the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2024 following an 89-63 victory over Lebanon, Tuesday evening at the Futian Sports Park here.
The wards of Coach Julie Amos began to take control of the game late in the first quarter before pulling away for good in the ensuing period en route to clinching the no. 1 seed of the three-team Group B with a clean 2-0 card.
Now, they await their opponents in the penultimate phase set on June 29, which the crew will know during the qualification to semis featuring the second and third seeds of both groups. The said round is scheduled for the 28th.
Naomi Panganiban led Gilas with 25 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists as she helped create the 9-2 run to finish the opening period with a 25-14 lead.
Gabby Ramos finished with 12 points and 19 rebounds.
Tiffany Reyes added 12 points as well, as all players scored at least two in the triumph that saw the unit lead by as many as 29 points, 82-53, during the final frame.
Defense once again played a major role in the pool sweep as the Filipina dribblers collected 20 steals — that, after racking 35 against Maldives.
Driven are Gilas in gaining the Division A promotion this time after being foiled in the previous U18 tilt in 2022 in India. Back then, the team swept the group phase only to fall to eventual champions Malaysia in the semis.
Now they see themselves in the semis again, and that would be a chance for this batch to show how much they’ve learned from the previous team, who managed to salvage a bronze medal in Bengaluru last time.
Lebanon, on the other hand, was led by Maygen Naassan, who had 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the defeat that dropped their card to 1-1.
Reem El Ghali backed her up with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Myanna Faraj added 11 for the team from West Asia.
The Scores:
Philippines 89 – Panganiban 25, Ramos 12, Reyes 12, Rodriguez 9, Canindo 6, Quinte 6, Impreso 5, Abong 4, Villaneuva 3, Duenas 3, Fajardo 2, Lapasaran 2.
Lebanon 63 – Naassan 17, El Ghali 14, Faraj 10, Hoteit 7, Mosleh 5, Barakat N. 5, Ajami 4, Bado 1, Al Nakib 0, Barakat M. 0, , Jaoude 0, Awad 0.
Quarterscores: 25-14, 44-25, 59-39, 89-63.
