Gilas Pilipinas’ Vanessa de Jesus and Jack Animam. Photo from FIBA Basketball.The Gilas Pilipinas women’s basketball team has ended its 2025 William Jones Cup campaign in fifth place.
The Nationals placed second to last in the six-team field after they succumbed to Chinese Taipei, 76-57, on Sunday at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
The Philippines only had a win in their five assignments, and this overshadowed the stellar performances of Vanessa de Jesus, Jack Animam, and Naomi Panganiban.
De Jesus scattered 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals, Jack Animam finished with seven markers and 11 boards, while Naomi Panganiban had 10 markers with six rebounds and three assists.
Unfortunately, Gilas fell short of sustaining their momentum in the second half anew.
Despite leading 32-30 at halftime, the Philippines saw a charge from the hosts in the final half, as Taipei outscored them in the third, 20-11, and the fourth, 26-14.
Aside from this, Taipei’s nine steals and three blocks also served as a picture of their stellar defense, as the Philippines were limited to only converting 21 of their 69 field goal attempts (30.4%).
Leading Taipei in scoring was Yueh-Ti Wang who had 14 points.