FIBA Asia Cup for Women trophy set for Philippine tour

FIBA Asia Cup for Women Trophy 

The Philippines will have a special tourist for the next couple of days, as the trophy for the FIBA Asia Cup for Women is now in the country, allowing fans to have a closer look at the continent's top prize for women's basketball, as well as highlight and celebrate the growing local legacy of the sport.

Personally hand carried by FIBA-Asia's Head of Communications Magesh Saba, it marked its arrival with a special invite-only gathering at the MAAX branch of Buffalo's Wings 'N Things that included select media members, as well as the Gilas Pilipinas Women's team. BWNT is among the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' official partners for the tour.

The next couple of days of the tour also is set to highlight local pride and community roots. 

On the second day of the tour, June 17, the trophy is off to Malolos, Bulacan, the hometown of Jack Danielle Animam. A motorcade is set to weave across the streets of the historic city, which will include passing through its city hall and culminate at the historic Barasoain Church.

The third and final day of the tour, June 18, will be headed to five universities, of which its alumnae have figured in the recent ascent of the sport in the local scene through their participation in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines as student-athletes.

Serving as the first stop of the tour in at De La Salle University, where the trophy will be displayed in front of the St. La Salle Building. Khate Castillo, whom fans remember as the one who beat Sabrina Ionescu in a shootout when the American standout visited the country earlier this year, was a feared shooter from distance with the Lady Archers.

It then heads to National University, where current Gilas Women head coach Patrick Aquino engineered the Lady Bulldogs into one of the premier dynasties in the UAAP, with the likes of Afril Bernardino, Animam, Stef Berberabe, Angel Surada, and Monique del Carmen, and now producing future stalwarts like Cielo Pagdulagan into its ranks.

Acting as the midway point of the campus tour is the University of Santo Tomas, featuring former UAAP champion Kent Pastrana, who is set to make her senior national team debut. The trophy is set to make an appearance at the Arch of the Centuries within the campus that is set to host the UAAP's 88th season.

From Manila, it is set to travel to Quezon City, where it will reside at the Blue Eagle Gym, the iconic sports facility inside the Loyola Heights campus of Ateneo de Manila University. Two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player Kacey dela Rosa holds the fort for the Lady Eagles, whether in 5x5 or 3x3. Fellow Blue Eagle Katrina Guytingco has been part of multiple medal-winning teams during the SEA Games.

The final stop of the tour will see a short run along Katipunan Avenue into the University of the Philippines, where it will be set beside the iconic Oblation statue. Aquino's alma mater has a couple of up-and-coming standouts in Louna Ozar and Camille Nolasco set to establish the Fighting Maroons as not just a force in men's basketball, but also on the women's side.

The SBP will provide the necessary content throughout the tour through its official social media platforms.

Akaho named Tissot MVP, leads FIBA Asia Cup for Women All-Star Five

The All-Star Five

Himawari Akaho was named as the Tissot MVP at the conclusion of the FIBA Asia Cup for Women on Sunday at the Prince Hamza Arena.

Akaho averaged 10.6 points, five rebounds, and 2.2 steals for Japan in the tournament, but it was her leadership and defense that shone brightest in helping the Olympic silver medalists secure their fifth straight title, namely her last-second block in the semifinal against Australia and securing the rebound off a missed triple in the final against China to help preserve the victory.

Joining her in the All-Star Five is her teammate Saori Miyazaki, who starred in the final with 26 points and eleven assists. The latter ensured she would finish the tournament as the leader in assists at 9.6 per game.

Like Japan, China also had two members make the team. Yueru Li towered over the opposition with 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. Sijing Huang netted 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.

Completing the quintet is Sami Whitcomb of Australia, capping off a whirlwind couple of weeks for the Opals skipper and New York Liberty star. She averaged a near-triple-double performance for the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup hosts with 17.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.2 assists.

Japan claims FIBA Asia Cup for Women

Saori Miyazaki

Japan claimed their fifth successive FIBA Asia Cup for Women on Sunday at the Prince Hamza Arena, fending off China, 78-73.

The Olympic silver medalists extricated themselves out of a sticky situation in the fourth quarter, scoring twelve straight points to cancel a seven-point deficit and establish a 64-59 lead with six minutes to go.

China would answer back to tie things up at 66, capped by a Sijin Huang triple with just over four minutes remaining.

From then on, it was a nip and tuck battle, with China even taking the lead at 73-72 after a Liwei Yang layup with 62 seconds left.

However, Japan took the lead for good with Saori Miyazaki finding Monica Okoye open for an and-1 layup with 44 seconds to go, putting them on top. 74-73.

Okoye would miss the bonus free throw, but more than made up for it by blocking Liwei's layup attempt with 31 seconds remaining.

China had a chance to tie the game after two Miyazaki free throws made it 76-73, but Sijin missed a triple with eight seconds left. Himawari Akaho secured the miss for her eighth rebound, with Miyazaki icing the game with two more free throws for the final score.

Miyazaki finished with 26 points and eleven assists, with Okoye adding 21 markers.

Sijing Huang led China with 18 points, while Yueru Li added sixteen and eleven rebounds.

The third place game saw Australia demolish Korea, 88-58 to secure their third straight podium finish.

Opals skipper Sami Whitcomb almost netted a triple-double with fifteen points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, with Darcee Garbin adding fourteen points.

Up next for all four nations is the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament, where the field for the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup will be determined.

Japan, China set up Asia Cup Women final

China makes it to the final.

Japan and China won their respective semifinal matches at the FIBA Asia Cup for Women on Saturday, setting up an interesting final involving two titans.

Japan secured their spot with a 67-65 victory over Australia, doing so with some added drama.

The defending champions were trailing 62-56 with less than four minutes left, before a 9-0 run allowed them to take a 65-62 lead. Sami Whitcomb tied it with a three with 2:18 left, but that was the last points the Opals would score.

Himawari Akaho's bucket with 118 seconds remaining allowed the Olympics silver medalists to retake the lead, then sealed the victory with a rejection of Whitcomb's game-winning attempt with four seconds left.

Akaho finished with an all-around performance of twelve points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals and three blocks. Saki Hayashi led all scorers with seventeen points.

Whitcomb finished with a team-high sixteen points, with Lauren Scherf contributing a double-double with twelve points and fifteen rebounds.

Standing in the way of Japan and a fifth straight title is China, which dispatched Korea, 93-69.

China decided to impose its will against their East Asian rivals, jumping out to a 23-9 lead and never looked back to coast their way to the finals.

Yueri Li finished with a twenty-point and twelve-rebound double-double, with Sijin Huang adding sixteen points.

Inyoung Yang led Korea with twelve points.

In the last game of the triple-header, New Zealand defeated Chinese-Taipei, 74-59, to finish in fifth place. Penina Davidson led the way for the Tall Ferns with a game-high 26 points.

Korea, Australia complete FIBA Asia Cup for Women semifinal cast

Sami Whitcomb

After suffering setbacks against fellow title contenders on Wednesday, both Korea and Australia won their respective FIBA Asia Cup for Women quarterfinal matchups on Thursday.

Korea needed a triple from Hyejin Park with a minute remaining to fend off Chinese-Taipei, eventually snapping up a 80-74 victory.

Park would finish with a team-high 22 points on 5/7 shooting from three. Leeseul Kang added three triples on her way to fifteen points.

Chinese-Taipei had managed to remain within striking distance for most of the game, but was unable to move past the multiple-time former champions. Hsiao-Tong Peng led the team with eighteen points.

The other quarterfinal matchup saw Australia defeat New Zealand, 72-61.

New York Liberty sharpshooter Sami Whitcomb sizzled with 29 points on 4/7 from three-point distance. The Opals skipper also made 11/13 free throws, grabbed seven boards, and dished six dimes. Lauren Marie Scherf and Darcee Garbin had thirteen and ten points, respectively.

Charlisse Leger-Walker led the Tall Ferns with seventeen points.

The quarterfinal results also officially complete FIBA-Asia's contingent in the FIBA Women's World Cup, joining fellow Asia Cup semifinalists Japan and China.

Semifinal action is slated Saturday.

Gilas Women earn Division A stay

Gilas Women staying in Division A

The Philippines is set to depart from Jordan on a winning note, holding on to a 74-70 victory over India in the seventh-place game at the FIBA Asia Cup for Women.

Janine Pontejos and Khate Castillo took over for the Gilas Women late Thursday, each torching the net for 22 points.

With the Philippines struggling to find an offensive contributor early on, Pontejos carried the team on her back, scoring their first eight points.

Castillo then took over in the second half with her sniping from deep, allowing the Pat Aquino-coached side to have a large enough cushion to fend off a late comeback from the South Asian side.

"Just so happy. I'm very, very happy with the girls. They didn't stop competing," Aquino shared post-match. "I know for the past three games, we were struggling, definitely. But today, I know they played together, and as a team. Good victory for us."

The mentor and Gilas Women program director also credited the Filipino fans who flocked to the Prince Hamza Arena all tournament long.

"The fans are very special everywhere we go," he shares, adding "There are lots of Filipinos around the world and the fans always come out and support us. They really supported our athletes and our journey here and without them, we probably would not have been as lucky as we were today. We are so happy and would like to say thank you to everyone who supported us."

Pushpa Senthil Kumar led India with fifteen points.

By securing the victory, the Philippines locked up another stint in Division A for a couple more years. India drops down to Division B, to be replaced by that group's winner when they play later this year.

Japan, China secure Asia Cup for Women semifinal spots

Wednesday bore witness to Japan and China clinching their respective semifinal spots at the FIBA Asia Cup for Women, assuring them spots in the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying tournament.

Japan earned their spot with a 67-62 victory over Korea in the first game of the four-game bill at the Prince Hamza Arena in Amman.

The duo of Himawari Akaho and Saori Miyazaki carried the defending champions against their East Asian rivals, combining for 36 points. The latter came close to notching a triple-double with seven rebounds and nine assists.

Korea clawed their way back from a slow start with steady play in the second quarter, reducing their deficit to a single point into halftime. They buckled down in the third quarter by limiting Japan to just six points in the period to erect a 48-43 lead.

The Olympic silver medalists responded with a strong start in the fourth quarter, taking the lead for good at 55-53.

Korea had a chance late to make up the deficit, but they were unable to score in the last two minutes after cutting the deficit to 63-62.

Isaem Choi led the team in scoring with sixteen points.

In contrast, China earned their semifinal spot with an impressive 82-64 victory over Australia.

After a relatively even first half, China took things to a higher notch in the third quarter, holding the Opals to just ten points in the period to establish a 58-49 lead. They doubled that lead in the final period to set the table for a dominant win.

Xu Han proved to be a handful with a double-double of sixteen points and eleven rebounds, whilst Sijing Huang nailed two triples in the fourth to finish with twelve points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

Captain Sami Whitcomb starred for the Opals with 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

In the other two matchups, New Zealand secured their path into the crossover quarterfinals with a dominant 109-49 victory over India, as Mary Goulding and Penina Davidson each contributed eighteen points. The latter also added eleven boards for an impressive double-double performance. In the process, they renew their Oceania rivalry with Australia for a chance to make the final four.

Capping the events of the day was Chinese-Taipei's 93-52 victory over the Philippines, allowing the East Asian side to nab the final crossover quarterfinal berth and a matchup against Korea.

As for the Philippines and India, the two will tangle in the seventh-place game that will decide which team will remain in Division A or be relegated to Division B.

Philippines exits from FIBA Asia Cup for Women title picture

Ella Fajardo

Chinese-Taipei officially eliminated the Philippines from contention late Wednesday night, securing a 93-52 victory to close out Group Stage play at the FIBA Asia Cup for Women in Amman.

After a game effort in the first half from the Gilas Women keeping them in contention, they were unable to stop an offensive barrage in the 3rd quarter from the East Asian side. In peppering the basket with 31 points in the period, mostly from three pointers coming off effective ball movement, they turned a 45-30 halftime result into an insurmountable 76-41 lead.

Wen-Yu Lin led Chinese-Taipei with 19 points on 5/8 shooting from deep, with Hsi-Yeh Liu adding four more triples on her way to thirteen points. All in all, they managed to convert fifteen three-pointers compared to just two for the Philippines.

Afril Bernardino starred for the Philippines in the defeat with an all-around performance of 24 points, fourteen rebounds, three assists, a couple of steals, and a block. Clare Castro added fourteen points and six rebounds, but she was the only other Filipina in double figures.

The win secures a spot into the crossover quarterfinals for Chinese-Taipei, where they have a shot of earning a spot into the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The Philippines will need to win its last game of the tournament late Thursday in order to retain their spot in Division A. Otherwise, relegation to Division B is assured.

Title favorites continue assertion of FIBA Asia Cup for Women dominance

Korea is 2-0 with Heji An's playmaking.

The expected favorites to fight for the 2021 edition of the FIBA Women's Asia Cup won their respective matches on Tuesday, setting up an interesting final Matchday for Wednesday.

Japan faced a tough test against New Zealand, to kick off the quadruple-header at the Prince Hamza Arena.

The defending champions struggled early on against the Tall Ferns, trailing after the first quarter, 20-11. They eventually found an offensive rhythm that would allow them to take a 32-31 halftime advantage, one that Japan would never let go of and eventually establish a lead as large as fifteen points.

Stephanie Mawuli led all scorers with fifteen points, with Saki Hayashi adding twelve of her own.

The victory sets up an interesting matchup with Korea for the top spot in Group A, in the aftermath of the latter's 107-69 victory over India.

Korea used a strong third quarter to take control of the game, scoring 33 points and allowing just seven.

India tried to keep pace to prevent a second straight loss, but the East Asians proved to be much.

Leeseul Kang led all scorers with eighteen points, with Heji An dishing out fourteen assists in thirty minutes of action.

In Group B, China imposed its will on Chinese-Taipei, using its commanding size advantage to pummel their opponents, 124-50.

Centers Yueru Li and Xu Han combined to score 38 points on 15/18 shooting to lead the way.

The win sets up a high-stakes match with Australia to see who claims the top spot in Group B. The Opals easily dispatched the Philippines to cap off action for the day, 120-56.

Philippines stumble versus Australia in Asia Cup for Women

Lauren Richardson

The Philippines' struggles in the FIBA Asia Cup for Women continued on Tuesday night, as they bowed to Australia at the Prince Hamza Arena, 120-56.

The Opals made things difficult for Gilas Women from the get-go, scoring the first eleven points of the game and never looked back, eventually erecting a 64-point lead at the final buzzer.

Much like Pinays on Monday, they were totally dominated by their opposition in many categories, including a 68-25 disadvantage in rebounding that led to a 44-18 disparity in points in the paint. The 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup hosts also netted 34 free throws off 25 fouls.

With such dominance, the Aussies had the chance to get to field meaningful for the younger members in the side, which includes U19 Gems standouts Jade Melbourne and Abigail Wehrung, as well as Nebraska sophomore Jaz Shelley.

Lauren Nicholson led all scorers with 21 points, including 4/5 from beyond the arc. Keeley Froling added 19 to pair with her thirteen rebounds.

New York Liberty standout Sami Whitcomb netted a near-triple-double performance with eight points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in just under fifteen minutes. The Opals skipper added three steals and a block to cap an all-around performance.

Janine Pontejos led the Philippines with thirteen points, with youth standout Kristine Cayabyab the only other player in double figures with ten markers.

The Opals are set to tangle with China at 9pm tonight for the right to finish atop Group B, whilst Gilas Women will face Chinese-Taipei at midnight to determine which team will enter the crossover quarterfinals.

Korea, Japan, Australia secure Asia Cup for Women openers

Sami Whitcomb

Title favorites assert themselves in the first set of matches at the FIBA Asia Cup for Women in Amman, on Monday.

The tournament opened with Japan's 136-46 demolition of India, with the Tokyo 2020 silver medalists peppering the Prince Hamza Arena with 24 triples, fourteen of them coming from the trio of Saki Hayashi, Haruno Nemoto, and Monica Okoye.

Okoye would finish with 24 points, while Kiho Miyashita led the defending champions with 27 markers.

Not to be outdone in Group A, Korea also showed out from deep in their 85-69 victory over New Zealand.

Even without their WNBA standout Ji-Su Park, the twelve-time champions rode on Isaem Choi and her game-high 29 points. They also had an all-around performance from Hyejin Park, who racked up twenty points, eleven rebounds, and six assists. The two combined for eleven of the team's thirteen makes from beyond the arc.

Penina Davidson led the Tall Ferns with a double-double of 21 points and eleven rebounds.

Capping off the first set of matches in the Jordanian capital is Australia's 76-65 victory over Chinese-Taipei.

The continental newcomers trailed at the half, 33-34, before a strong third quarter allowed the Opals to take a 53-45 lead.

Fresh from her stint in the WNBA playoffs with the New York Liberty, Sami Whitcomb led the Aussies with thirteen points.

China flexes muscle in Asia Cup for Women opener

Ria Nabalan. (c/o FIBA-Asia)

China flexed its muscle on the opening day of the FIBA Asia Cup for Women, demolishing the Philippines on Monday night, 143-52.

Eight out of the eleven players Limin Xu fielded scored in double figures, led by Liwei Yang's 21 points.

The eleven-time champions used their massive height advantage against the Gilas Women, amassing a 55-23 rebounding advantage that included a 40-15 mismatch in offensive rebounds.

That dominance extended to other categories, including turnovers, where the Philippines doubled China, 24 to 12.

After a sluggish start, the Pinays managed to stay with the team early on,reducing an early 15-3 deficit to just 22-15, but the Chinese cranked it up once again to end the first quarter trailing 35-17.

It was all downhill from there, with China scoring at will, netting themselves at least 34 points in all quarters, whilst Gilas Women could only 35 points the rest of the game.

Head coach Pat Aquino acknowledged the limited preparations that the squad had in the run-up to the competition, noting that they had a month to get themselves ready for this tournament, compared to their opposition who is fresh from a stint in Tokyo 2020.

Ella Fajardo, who made her senior debut with the national team, added that even if Coach Aquino told them that "they played their hardest," the team knows that they still have "more to bring" in the tournament. The Fairleigh Dickinson true freshman netted six points in just under thirteen and a half minutes.

Afril Bernardino was the lone Filipina in double figures with seventeen points.

The Philippines will even have a tougher hill to climb, as they face off against FIBA Women's World Cup hosts Australia at midnight tonight.

Philippines kicks off FIBA Asia Cup for Women campaign

Gilas Pilipinas Women

The Philippines' hopes to play in the FIBA Women's World Cup in 2022 will commence starting tonight, as Gilas Women face off against China to kickstart their FIBA Asia Cup for Women campaign.

Tip-off for this matchup starts at 9pm, to be shown LIVE on One Sports, One Sports+, and gigafest.smart.

Slotted in Group B with Australia and Chinese-Taipei, the country has a steep hill to climb in its hopes to be among the twelve teams involved in the top tier global competition for women's basketball.

Four spots are allocated to Asia for the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournaments, including Australia as the FIBA Women's World Cup hosts. With the eight teams in the Asia Cup Division A split into two groups of four, only the top three teams of each group advance into the knockout rounds, with the top team getting an automatic semifinal bid. As for the two last-placed teams, they will then face off in a relegation battle with the loser moved into Division B.

The squad is led by stalwarts Afril Bernardino, Ria Nabalan, and Clare Castro, and includes newcomers Camille Clarin of National University, and Fairleigh Dickinson University true freshman Ella Fajardo.

Serving as the first obstacle for the Pat Aquino-coached side is China, who has won this competition eleven times, although their last title came in 2011.