THREE. Sophia Dignadice in action for Gilas Women in the 2026 FIBA Women's Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.
FIBA
Teen guard Sophia Dignadice backstops the trio of Jack Animam, Kacey dela Rosa, and Vanessa de Jesus as Gilas Women beat a non-Asian team for the second time this year
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Women took two painful losses on the chin and wrapped up their campaign in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Mexico on a high note.
Eighteen-year-old Sophia Dignadice backstopped the trio of Jack Animam, Kacey dela Rosa, and Vanessa de Jesus as the Philippines scored a 79-75 win over Senegal on Thursday, August 20 (Friday, August 21, Manila time).
The victory somehow made up for a stinging 61-58 defeat to host Mexico and a crushing 85-38 loss to Canada, which eliminated Gilas Women from contention.
It also marked the Filipinas’ first official win under new coach Burke “BT” Toews, who expressed optimism in the progress he has seen from his wards.
“One game does not give you an identity, but we’re definitely headed in the right direction,” said Toews, who took over the team in June.
“Fighting is not enough at this level, your brain has to follow. We’re still waiting for the execution to get better and fewer hiccups in a game, so we’re not quite there. But I think we’re headed in the right direction.”
The youngest in the team, Dignadice rose to the occasion with 16 points and 4 assists as the Gilas Women beat a non-Asian team for the second time this year after it stunned Colombia in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in France in March.
De Jesus also supplied 16 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals, Dela Rosa tallied 16 points as well to go with 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, while Animam put up 14 points on a perfect 6-of-6 clip with 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
The game remained in the balance up until the dying minutes as Senegal trailed 73-76 before Dela Rosa scored underneath to push the Philippines’ lead to 5 points and Animam sealed the win with a free throw.
Jhazmin Joson added 9 points and 4 assists as Gilas Women gained a boost in morale going into the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September.
The Filipinas eye a deeper run in the quadrennial showpiece this time after their quarterfinal exit in the 2023 edition in China.
“We want to move forward, that’s another chance for us to learn, that’s another chance for us to compete, but we want to win more than anything else,” said Toews. – Rappler.com
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