Gilas Pilipinas Women couldn’t capitalize on a strong start as Japan Universiade rallied in the second half to stay unbeaten in the 2025 William Jones Cup.
Unlike their previous outing, Gilas Pilipinas Women raced to a fast start this time around.
But just like in their showdown against South Korea, the Filipinas absorbed yet another loss.
Gilas Women built an early 12-point lead but couldn’t sustain the momentum, taking a 94-74 loss to Japan Universiade in the 2025 William Jones Cup on Saturday at Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
Still up 58–54 midway through the third quarter, the Filipinas looked poised to pull away until Japan flipped the script with a key 14-0 run to take a 66-58 lead entering the final frame.
Japan never looked back, outscoring Gilas Women 50–28 in the final two quarters to claim their fourth straight win after earlier victories over Thailand, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei’s collegiate team.
The Philippines, meanwhile, dropped to 1-3 and saw its title and podium hopes dashed with one game left in the tournament.
Jack Animam paced Gilas Women with another double-double outing of points 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Naomie Panganiban added 14. Louna Ozar chipped in 11 points.
Japan leaned on a balanced effort as Azusa Asahina, Suzuno Higuchi, Ufuoma Tanaka, Maika Miura and Haru Owaki all posted double-digit scoring and combined for 56 markers.
Up next for Gilas Pilipinas Women is the Chinese Taipei collegiate team, their final assignment in the Jones Cup.
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After the tournament, the Nationals will turn their attention to the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, scheduled for July 13–20 in Shenzhen, China.