Alessandra Gwen Santos

Still reeling from their loss to Japan on Saturday, Gilas Pilipinas Women suffered their last tough blow as history repeated itself—this time falling to Chinese Taipei's collegiate squad after stumbling in second half, 76-57, to close out their campaign in the 44th William Jones Cup on Sunday at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium, July 6.

Photo Courtesy of FIBA.

The Filipinas failed to replicate their 2-3 finish in last year's edition—their best showing so far—closing this year's tournament with a 1-4 record. Chinese Taipei, meanwhile, improved to 3-2 slate. 

Vanessa De Jesus anchored the offense for the Filipinas, dropping 15 points along with eight rebounds and two assists, while Naomi Panganiban followed suit with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists to keep the fight alive. 

Yvette Villanueva and Ella Fajardo chipped in eight points each, while Gilas anchor Jack Aminam’s limited seven points became a key factor in the team's loss despite pulling down 11 rebounds and two steals. 

The national team started hot, quickly building a comfortable 11-point cushion before halting Taipei’s 7-0 run to end the opening quarter ahead, 15-11. 

After pulling from a 19-all deadlock, Taipei saw their lead erased by back-to-back three-pointers from Fajardo and De Jesus, respectively, to give Philippines a 32-30 edge at halftime. 

However, the script was flipped for the Filipinas. 

Gilas struggled to find their rhythm in the first half as the Collegiate squad surged midway, although Khate Castillo hit a beyond-the-arc three-pointer that momentarily stopped the bleeding, but still slipped behind by 43-50 in the third salvo. 

Gilas' chances of a turnaround dwindled as they fell behind by 11 points in the last quarter, with Fajardo missing a crucial three pointer to let the Taipei squad sink two free throws to deliver the final blow to the one-win Philippines.

Wang Yue Shi stood out for the Chinese side, snagging 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting and two rebounds, while Hua Qiao Jun trailed behind with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and racked up five assists.

Despite the tough finish, Gilas Pilipinas Women now shift their focus to redeem themselves at the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup, to be held later this month in Shenzhen.