Young guns hope to finish the tournament with a bang as Gilas Pilipinas face New Zealand for fifth place in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup in China.
Louna Ozar and Naomi Panganiban will lead Gilas Pilipinas Women as they aim to finish strong against Esra McGoldrick and New Zealand in their final game of the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup on Friday, July 19, at 1:30 p.m. at the Shenzhen Sports Center.
The Philippines is gunning for its first-ever win over the Kiwis and a chance to improve on its sixth-place finish from the 2023 edition.
But to do that, Gilas must avoid the kind of sluggish start that doomed them in their 81-67 loss to South Korea during the qualification to the semifinals.
Ozar, who had struggled in the early part of the tournament, found her rhythm with a 10-point outing against Korea and will look to build on that momentum.
Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Panganiban has remained a bright spot for Gilas, dropping 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting in the same game, and will look to deliver with more efficiency this time around.
On the other end, Gilas will have to contend with New Zealand’s towering forward Esra McGoldrick, who is coming off a monster 28-point, 12-rebound double-double in a loss to Japan.
Her inside presence and offensive versatility will pose a major challenge to Gilas’ frontline.
While the Philippines is already out of semifinal contention, a win against New Zealand would be a significant milestone and a fitting close to a campaign that showed both the promise and growing pains of a young Gilas squad.
(With reports from Luisa Morales)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]