MANILA, Philippines – The Gilas Girls’ quest for a Division A promotion is finally complete.
Led by Alyssa Rodriguez, the Gilas Pilipinas U18 women’s team completed the sweep of the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup Division B tournament following a 95-64 demolition of Lebanon in the championship on Sunday, June 30, at the Futian Sports Park in Shenzhen, China.
Rodriguez put on a shooting clinic for the Philippines as she exploded for 22 points on a sizzling 6-of-10 clip from beyond the arc.
The sharpshooting Rodriguez caught fire from long distance early, firing 17 of her 22 points in the first half built on five treys.
Margarett Villanueva and Naomi Panganiban also joined Gilas Girls’ three-ball party with two long bombs each to finish with 15 and 13 points, respectively, as they officially move up to Division A of the Women’s Asia Cup.
With the score knotted at 20-all in the early stages of the second quarter, Rodriguez knocked down a booming triple at the 7:06 mark, which ignited a furious 17-0 Gilas Girls rally.
In that pivotal 17-0 run, Rodriguez and Panganiban combined for 13 points to help the Philippines build a sizable 37-20 margin, before pushing it even further to 53-26 at halftime.
Gilas Girls then showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, even expanding its lead to its largest at 41 points, 89-48, off a triple by Panganiban with 7:09 to go in the fourth frame.
Overall, the Filipinas connected on 15 of their 39 three-point attempts, while limiting the Lebanese to just a 1-of-8 clip from downtown.
Aside from their red-hot shooting, Gilas Girls tallied 21 steals and forced Lebanon to commit 31 errors, which ultimately led to 39 points off turnovers.
The Philippines overcame a huge double-double performance by Lebanon’s Reem El Ghali, who racked up game-highs of 31 points and 15 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Ava Fajardo and Sophia Canindo also scored in double figures for the Julie Amos-mentored Gilas Girls with 10 points apiece.
The victory marks the Filipinas’ seventh straight win, dating back to the SEABA Qualifiers in May, where it also completed a dominant 3-0 sweep of the tournament.
With its promotion to Division A, the Philippines joins Asian powerhouses such as China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
The Scores
Philippines 95 – Rodriguez 22, Villanueva 15, Panganiban 13, Fajardo 10, Canindo 10, Duenas 8, Impreso 7, Lapasaran 5, Reyes 3, Ramos 2, Abong 0, Quinte 0.
Lebanon 64 – El Ghali 31, Naassan 19, Hoteit 8, Barakat M. 2, Ajami 2, Al Nakib 1, Jaoude 1, Barakat N. 0, Bado 0, Faraj 0, Mosleh 0.
Quarters: 20-17, 53-26, 80-46, 95-64.
– Rappler.com