Gilas Girls finish sixth in U16 Asia Cup after blowout loss to Chinese Taipei

Gilas Pilipinas Girls ended their campaign with a sixth-place finish after falling to their fellow  Group A rival Chinese Taipei, 103-72, during the FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup Division A classification game at  Arena Seremban in Malaysia, Sept. 27.

The Philippines started slow, trailing 21-7 early and never recovering as Taipei pulled away to a 52-34 halftime lead and kept control through the final buzzer. 

Ryanna Roman led Gilas with 19 points, while Makena Ramos chipped in 14.

Zi-Qiao Gao paced Taipei with 26 points, with Yu-Tung Chang adding 19 and teammates Hsun-Wen Chang and Nian Zhen Lin combining for 27. 

The win secured fifth place for Taipei after missing the semifinals in a narrow loss to New Zealand.

Gilas Pilipinas closed with a 1-4 record, highlighted by a 77-75 victory over South Korea that ensured their stay in Division A for the next cycle.

Despite back-to-back defeats to end the tournament, the sixth-place finish equals the Philippines’ best showing in the continental meet, first set in 2011.