By Ashley Bercasio
Gilas Pilipinas secured a semifinal slot in the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship Division B after dealing Samoa a crushing 94-65 defeat on Sunday, June 26, at Prince Hamza Hall in Amman, Jordan to complete a sweep of Group A.
Kristan Geyl Yumul provided the offensive spark for Gilas recording 22 points on five three-pointers to go alongside her five assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Naomi Natalie Panganiban and Princess BJ Marie Villamarin backstopped Yumul, tallying 14 and 13 markers, respectively, while Samantha Paulene Medina, Dianne Camille Nolasco, and Kailah Jade Oudani wound up with nine points apiece.
The national squad hit the ground running, outscoring Samoa 26-19 in the first quarter and did not allow the latter to reach 20 points in the following three quarters.
Kira-May Filemu registered a monster 28-point, 27-rebound game in a losing effort for Samoa but also committed a team-high 14 turnovers.
Gilas Pilipinas Women still awaits the victor of the Kazakhstan-Samoa tiff for its semifinal opponent on Wednesday, June 29.
The national lady dribblers went 3-0 in the group stage making short work of Indonesia, 104-68, on June 24 before eking out a tough 92-86 win over Syria on June 25. – gb
