Gilas Pilipinas Women near Asian Games quarterfinals after rout of Hong Kong - GMA Network
Gilas Pilipinas Women put themselves in prime position to advance to the 2026 Asian Games quarterfinals after steamrolling Hong Kong, 90-73, on Sunday at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.
Unbeaten so far, Gilas Women rode a strong second half behind usual suspects Stefanie Berberabe, Jhazmin Joson, and Afril Bernardino, to complete the rout and improve to 2-0 in Group B, while sending Hong Kong reeling to 0-2 and moving to the cusp of a quarterfinal berth.
Gilas, now led by Canadian head coach BT Toews, will look to seal the group stage sweep and a playoffs ticket on Tuesday, when it takes on host Japan at 12 p.m. in the same venue.
The 26-year-old Berberabe starred in the 17-point victory, dropping 21 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 31 minutes of action while Bernardino posted a double-double of 17 markers and 11 boards laced with four dimes to keep the Philippines' record unscathed.
Three more Gilas Women players poured in double figures as Joson churned out 15 while Camille Malagar and Elizabeth Means chipped in 14 and 11 markers apiece.
That collective effort keyed Gilas' second-half pullaway.
Hong Kong initially pulled to within two midway through the third period when TszKwan Li knocked down a triple to trim the deficit to 57-59. But Gilas broke away with Berberabe and veteran Janine Pontejos burying a triple each to instigate a 10-3 run to close out the period and give Gilas a 69-60 lead.
Berberabe drilled another three-pointer before issuing a no-look pass that led to an Angel Surada layup early in the fourth for a 74-60 cushion. Joson took over from that point on, nailing back-to-back jumpers and torching Hong Kong with another long bomb, bringing the Philippines to a comfortable 88-68 lead in the final minute.
Gilas will look to mount the same fight when it faces Japan, which is eyeing to redeem itself after falling in the gold medal round in the previous edition.
