Aussie girls wallop Gilas U18

Gilas Pilipinas Women opened its FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup campaign on a sour note after absorbing a 47-102 loss to Australia last Sunday at the Karisma Arena in Seremban, Malaysia.

Australia quickly imposed its will as Isabel Smith’s layup with 9:57 left in the first quarter sparked a 13-0 run, putting the Gems in control for the rest of the game.

The Australians continued to pull away and built their biggest lead at 58 points, 102-44, after Lily Mapp’s layup with 24 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Sophie Richardson led Australia with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, while Smith added 17 and Olivia Olechnowicz chipped in 15.

Australia also dominated the boards, 60-36, and moved the ball well with 25 assists.

Tiffany Reyes and Zhayden Rosano led Gilas Women with 10 points apiece.

The defeat put the Philippines in a difficult position in Group A as it looks to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

Gilas Women will try to bounce back against South Korea on Monday at 11:30 a.m. (Manila time) at the same venue.

The Philippines needs to finish at least third in the group to advance to the quarterfinals.

The stakes are high, with the top four teams in the tournament earning qualification to the 2027 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup in China.