Against a stacked Germany lineup bannered by WNBA champion Leonie Fiebich and young standouts Emily Bessoir and Frieda Bühner, Gilas Women struggled to keep pace in the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in France.
Simply put, the gap in talent proved too wide for Gilas Pilipinas Women.
Head coach Pat Aquino admitted as much after the Philippines absorbed another defeat in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament in France, this time falling to world No. 12 Germany via 113-80 blowout.
“It was a hard battle again, a tough game. I give my hats off to Germany. They played superbly and we really couldn’t match their talent,” Aquino said in the post-game press conference.
Playing in their second game in as many days, the Filipinas (0-2) remained winless in the tournament. They absorbed a 115-66 rout at the hands of host France in their opener.
Emily Bessoir led Germany with a dominant double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds in just under 28 minutes of action.
Frieda Bühner added 19 points, Britta Daub chipped in 16, while WNBA champion Leonie Fiebich of the New York Liberty finished with 12 points and seven assists in just 19 minutes.
Fiebich’s Liberty teammate Nyara Sabally — sister of Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally — did not play after tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds in Germany’s 76-49 win over South Korea in its tournament opener.
Although Gilas Women showed better offensive rhythm compared to their first game, the Philippines fell into an early 35-25 defiit in the opening quarter and never recovered.
Germany steadily pulled away, leading by as many as 33 points as the Philippines joined Colombia as the only winless teams in their group.
Sumayah Sugapong paced Gilas Women with 21 points, while veteran Afril Bernardino added 13 points and nine rebounds.
The Filipinas also struggled on the boards, getting dominated in rebounding, 26-54.
Germany’s offensive efficiency set multiple marks in the lopsided win, including 39 assists and 113 points — among the highest outputs recorded in the qualifying tournament since its introduction in 2022.
Despite the setback, Aquino remained proud of his players’ effort.
“I’m still proud of the girls. They fought hard until the end and we’re hopeful we can manage some wins in the coming days.”
The challenge will only get tougher as the Philippines next faces world No. 9 Nigeria on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. (PH time).
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.