Gilas Girls hot on World Cup berth

Gilas Pilipinas Girls face a daunting test when they battle China for a spot in the semifinals of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup at the Karisma Arena in Seremban, Malaysia on Thursday.

Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. (Manila time), with the young Filipinas looking to make more history by securing a berth in the 2027 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup in China.

The Gilas Girls opened the tournament with two straight losses, falling to Australia, 47-102, before absorbing a 70-86 defeat to South Korea.

They bounced back against New Zealand with an 89-84 victory to advance to the next round.

Against the mighty Chinese, the Filipinas have to work hard with National University Nazareth School guard Zaydhen Rosano tipped to make her presence felt after averaging 12.3 points and 3.7 rebounds in three games while Rhiane Meshelle Perez has contributed 12 points and four rebounds per game.

China, meanwhile, will bank on Sun Hanyun, who is averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds in this prestigious continental tournament that stakes four spots in the U19 World Cup in China.

But should China make it to the top four, the fifth-best team will be given a ticket to the World Cup since the Chinese have automatically qualified for being the hosts

With that, the Philippines has to win either over Chinese Taipei or South Korea on Friday to claim the remaining World Cup berth.