The Gilas Pilipinas Women squad is looking good as it gets ready for the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup in Sydney, Australia.
“Unbreakable teamwork. Hearts full of gratitude. We salute the incredible Filipino community who came out in full force to support Gilas Women. Maraming salamat po! Thank you Australian-Filipino Community Services and Sir Charles for coordinating our Melbourne exhibition week,” said the team’s official post on its social media page.
Playing as a cohesive unit, Gilas posted a lopsided win over Keilor Thunder, 93-72, and beat Casey Cavaliers, 93-48, in a pair of exhibition games against two National Basketball League 1 semi-pro clubs as part of its buildup.
Making up the core of the team are Duke University standout Vanessa De Jesus and mainstays Jack Danielle Animam, Janine Pontejos and Afril Bernardino.
The Philippines will open its bid against host team Australia on June 26 before taking on Olympic silver medalist Japan on June 27 and Chinese Taipei on June 28 in Group B.
The FIBA Asia Cup offers four spots for the qualifiers for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany.