Birthday girl Tiffany Reyes hits buzzer beater as Gilas Girls stun Korea for historic first Division A win

Tiffany Reyes gave herself and Philippine basketball a birthday gift to remember.

The 15-year-old guard drilled a mid-range jumper at the horn to lift the Gilas Girls to a dramatic 77-75 victory over South Korea handing the Philippines its first-ever triumph in FIBA U16 Women’s Asia Cup Division A play, September 24.

Reyes faked her defender out of position and calmly buried the game-winner just before the buzzer sounded, rescuing the Filipinas after they had squandered a nine-point cushion in the fourth quarter.

The Philippines appeared in control early, leading 69-60 with seven minutes left, but Korea stormed back and the sides traded baskets in a tense final minute.

Ruiza Olmos knotted the score at 75 with a free throw inside the last 11 seconds, setting up Reyes’ heroics.

Reyes finished with 16 points, complementing a 21-point, seven-rebound performance from Ella Smith. Olmos also chipped in 12 points.

Korea’s Lim Seun poured in a game-high 31 points with eight boards, but the three-time podium finisher slipped to 0-3 and will now battle to avoid relegation in the classification round.

The breakthrough came after a rocky start to the tournament. The young squad had dropped its first two assignments, falling 74-48 to Chinese Taipei and suffering a 123-42 rout against powerhouse Australia.

With victory secured, the Philippines now sits at third place in Group A, 1-2, enough to advance in the qualification to semi-finals against Group B No. 2 seed China in September 26.