Do they belong? Gilas Women take 76-point beating from Aussies
Australia made it look like the Gilas Pilipinas Women didn’t belong in the Fiba Asia Cup tournament after hammering the Filipinos to submission and winning, 115-39, on Sunday at Shenzen Sports Center in China.
The Aussies, the second-highest ranked team in the field just behind China, limited the Filipinos to 14 points in the final two quarters to post the rout and justify their tags as one of the favorites in the event.
No Filipino scored in twin digits, with US NCAA star Vanessa de Jesus leading Gilas with nine points that went with three rebounds and an assist.
Jack Animam, for a long time the face of women’s basketball back home, struggled to shoot just two points in the face of the towering Australian frontline. She also only had five rebounds.
Sara Blicavs had 12 points at the end of the first half and finished with 17 for the Aussies, who were led by Miela Goodchild, who fired 19 points. Chloe Bibby finished with 16 to complete a three-sided battering ram that totally destroyed the Filipinos.
Meanwhile, Japan also debuted with a win after beating Lebanon, 72-68. The Japanese will be Gilas’ next assignment on Monday at 7:30 pm.
