‘We had a lot of energy coming into this game, we had a great mentality and I think that’s what came out in the game, everyone went in, and we all made the most of our minutes, all of our work was out on the floor in that game.’
AVA Fajardo drops 19 points as Gilas Pilipinas Girls crush Samoa, 71-47, to reach the final of the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup.
PhotographS COURTESY OF FIBA
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Gilas Pilipinas Girls inched a win closer from a promotion to Division A after overwhelming a mismatched Samoa side, 71-47, in the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup semifinal on Saturday at the Futian Sports Park in Shenzhen, China.
The Filipinas outgunned the Samoans 22-8 in the fourth quarter and used a huge run to put the game to bed and advance into the winner-take-all Division B championship.
Gilas Girls will face Lebanon, which defeated Iran, 64-49, for all the marbles and the promotion on Sunday set at 2 p.m. (Manila time).
The Pinay cagers are coming into the championship heavily favored after crushing the Lebanese, 89-63, in the group stage last Tuesday.
Gilas’ win over the Samoans was a repeat of their, 84-68, rout in their bronze medal match two years ago in India.
“We had a lot of energy coming into this game, we had a great mentality and I think that’s what came out in the game, everyone went in, and we all made the most of our minutes, all of our work was out on the floor in that game,” said Ava Fajardo, who churned out 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Mythical Five frontrunner Naomi Panganiban dropped 12 points, five rebounds and two assists while Sophia Canindo and Alicia Margarett Villanueva chipped in 11 markers each for the Gilas Girls.
Gilas Girls ignited a 16-2 run in the payoff period to turn their 49-39 advantage entering the canto into a comfortable 65-41 lead after Canindo drained two charities with 4:22 left.
The Nationals also took advantage of Samoa’s atrocious 31 miscues and converted them into 28 turnover points. Gilas Girls also had their running game going with 31 fastbreak points.
“Our coaches know how much we can take, and put out, they are very mindful and understanding of balancing practice with resting so we can perform at our best,” Fajardo said.
Mylaani Shay Siolosega Sione led Samoa with 18 points in a losing effort.
