Vanessa de Jesus and Jack Animam powered Gilas Pilipinas Women to an 83-66 victory over Thailand, notching their first win in the 44th William Jones Cup on Thursday afternoon at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
Bouncing back from a tough 59-85 loss to Chinese Taipei the previous day, De Jesus and Animam led the Philippines’ second-half surge that finally put them in the win column.
De Jesus, the Notre Dame standout in the US NCAA, delivered an all-around performance with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, along with six rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Animam was equally dominant, finishing with a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds, while also tallying two assists and two steals.
Their combined efforts helped Gilas Women even their record at 1-1 in the six-team tournament, with three crucial games still to play in the elimination round.
In the third quarter, Gilas broke the game wide open with a 22-9 run, fueled by the core group of De Jesus, Animam, Louna Ozar, and Ella Fajardo.
The run turned a 40-all deadlock into a 62-49 advantage heading into the final frame.
Thailand tried to mount a comeback with a quick 7-2 burst to cut the deficit to 69-56. However, back-to-back inside baskets from Animam and De Jesus extended the Philippines’ lead to 73-56, effectively sealing the breakthrough win.
Off the bench, Sumayah Sugapong provided a solid boost with 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
Ozar added eight points and four rebounds, while Fajardo chipped in seven points on 3-of-5 shooting and dished out three assists.
Gilas Women aim to build on their momentum when they face South Korea tomorrow at 2 p.m.
Thailand, on the other hand, dropped to 0-2.
Supavadee Kunchan led the Thais with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds, and three assists. Rattiyakorn Udomsuk added 13 points, seven rebounds, and two steals in the losing effort.
