A promising halftime lead was not enough as Gilas Pilipinas Women missed out on an upset against African powerhouse Nigeria in the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifiers.
For one half, Gilas Pilipinas Women looked poised to deliver a massive upset.
Leading 51-42 at the break against world no. 8 Nigeria, the Gilas Women were just two quarters away from finally breaking through in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
But then the second half happened.
Nigeria flipped the game in the final two quarters, unleashing a dominant run that turned a promising night for the Philippines into a frustrating collapse.
The reigning AfroBasket champions exploded for 31 points in the third quarter before pulling away in the fourth, outscoring Gilas Women 35-21 to secure a 101-84 victory and send the Filipinas to their third straight loss in the tournament.
A confident performance quickly unraveled — something both Gilas Women coach Pat Aquino and guard Louna Ozar attributed to inconsistent defense.
“We’re playing good defense and I think we have to maintain that the whole game and be consistent,” Ozar said in the postgame press conference.
Ozar finished with 11 points and was one of four Gilas Women cagers to score in double figures, with Kent Pastrana and Janine Pontejos logging 16 points each, and Stefanie Berberabe also adding 13 markers.
For much of the opening half, Gilas Women controlled the tempo.
The Filipinas built their largest lead at 37-27 in the second quarter after a basket from Angel Surada, before carrying the nine-point advantage into halftime.
“It was a great first half for us but we have to sustain our defense. The numbers were there, but we’re giving more numbers to the other team,” Aquino said.
Indeed, as Nigeria flipped the script in the second half with Victoria Macaulay leading their comeback effort with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Murjanatu Musa nearly recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists.
Better D and finish it out
Despite the setback, Aquino believes his squad showed signs it can compete — if it learns how to finish games.
“That’s our target now: just play good defense until the end and not just fold in the last quarter,” Aquino said.
The Philippines now enters a crucial stretch in the tournament.
Gilas Women will face South Korea (2-1) Sunday at 7:30 p.m. before closing their campaign against Colombia (0-3) on Tuesday, March 17 at 9:00 p.m.
With two games left and little margin for error, Aquino remains hopeful the Filipinas can still claim a much-needed breakthrough.
“We definitely gained some confidence because the numbers are there. But we need more things like getting stops and finishing games. It’s not going to be a first-half game or a third-quarter game — it’s a full game. That’s how we have to approach it,” Aquino stressed.
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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.