By el Amigo
MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas Women’s Youth team fell short of securing a place in next year’s FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup after absorbing an 86-55 defeat to Chinese Taipei in the fifth-place classification game of the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup 2026 on Friday in Chengdu, China.
The Filipinas needed to win the crucial matchup to claim the final Asian qualification spot for the world championship but struggled against the Taiwanese, who secured fifth place and advanced to the tournament’s semifinal round.
The loss capped a difficult stretch for Gilas, which had earlier bowed to China, 112-49, in Thursday’s quarterfinals to see its semifinal hopes end.
Grace Curley once again led the Philippine side, producing 15 points and nine rebounds in a near double-double performance. KJ Badajos added 12 points, while Rhiane Perez and Tiffany Reyes chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.
Chen Jou-An paced Chinese Taipei with 12 points, while Chang Yu-Tung contributed 11.
Gilas finished sixth with a 1-4 record, closing its campaign with back-to-back defeats after its historic breakthrough against New Zealand.
The Filipinas’ lone victory came in a 69-64 upset of New Zealand, marking the Philippines’ first win in Division A since earning promotion in 2024.
Despite missing out on the World Cup, the campaign provided the young Filipinas with valuable experience against Asia’s top youth teams, including semifinalists South Korea, Japan, Australia and host China.
“We’re very optimistic. It’s a big honor for us to be in Division A. We wanted not just to be happy to be here competing, but we wanted to take steps,” coach Sandy Arespacochaga said in an article published by FIBA.
