Gilas Pilipinas beats Lebanon, earns seat in World Cup qualifiers

Sports

Finally, a win for Gilas Pilipinas.

The Nationals didn’t wilt under tremendous pressure and hacked out a 73-70 win over Lebanon in the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup at the Shenzhen Sports Center in China on Wednesday, July 16.

Sumayah Sugapong, Vanessa De Jesus, Jack Animam, Kacey Dela Rosa, and Naomi Panganiban pumped in crucial points for Gilas, which finally barged into the win column after starting the tournament with back-to-back losses.

The Nationals struggled mightily in their first outing and lost badly to Australia, 39-115. Gilas put up a decent showing in its second assignment but still fell short against Japan, 82-85.

With the win over Lebanon, Gilas did not just stay in the semifinal race but also earned a seat in the World Cup Qualifiers after securing a spot in the Top Six. The victory also allowed them to keep its spot in Division 1 for the next edition of the continental event.

Gilas and Lebanon figured in a tight contest.

Gilas was down, 55-57, but Sugapong evened things up with a jumper in the final 9:13.

De Jesus made her own jumper then Dela Rosa scored in the paint as Gilas took the lead for good, 61-57, with 7:27 to go.

Panganiban topped Gilas with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal. Sugapong added 14 points on top of five rebounds, three assists, and two steals while Jack Aninam piled 14 points, 16 rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

De Jesus came away with 13 points and Dela Rosa pitched in 10 markers.(CCM)