By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It was so close, yet so far for the brave Filipinas representing the Gilas Pilipinas women’s national basketball team.
In their first game during the opener of the FIBA Women’s World Cup 2026 Pre-qualifiers, the Gilas Women squad was so close to handing the world no. 8 Brazilian national team a stunning loss but eventually fell in the final stretch, 77-74, on August 19, 2024, at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Despite going up against the higher-seeded Brazilian women’s team, the Filipinas showed nerves of steel and were unfazed in the action-packed matchup.
Led by their star player Jack Animam who displayed a dominant outing against the towering Brazilian frontcourt, Gilas were able to keep the game close from the get-go and matched the opposition’s firepower.
With only five minutes remaining in the ball game, Naomi Panganiban injected life to Gilas after giving them the lead, 69-68, after sinking a clutch shot from the rainbow country.
However, Brazil stormed back and drained some buckets in the shaded lane, causing another lead change, setting up the game for a nip-and-tuck finish.
Both teams were still not separated in the final 20 seconds of the game with the game leveled at 74-all, but Brazil came back to the driver’s seat when Aline Moura hit a shot from the charity stripe that gave the world no. 8 a one-point lead.
Down by a point, Gilas called timeout and talked things over for their next offensive possession but Khate Castillo failed to hit her shot in the corner, forcing Gilas to play the foul game.
Brazil’s Caca Martin then put the final nail in the coffin after draining both clutch shots from the free throw line for a three-point lead, 77-74.
Seeking to make up for her miss during the last play, Castillo once again attempted for a long bomb but her shot from downtown went off the mark.
Despite the loss, Gilas still put up a fight and showed the world that they can battle with the best teams in FIBA, as they put Brazil in a tough spot during their thrilling clash in Rwanda.
Leading Gilas against Brazil was Animam who put up an all-around efficient performance of 18 points, 21 rebounds, and four blocks.
Backstopping Animam was national team staple Afril Bernardino who also filled the stat sheets with 14 markers, seven boards, two steals, and two assists.
