By REYNALD MAGALLON
The Gilas Pilipinas women’s team rose five rungs higher and landed at the 39th spot of the FIBA world rankings following an impressive performance in the Division A of the Asia Cup last month.
The Nationals finished sixth in the continental tiff after reaching as far as the quarterfinals to improve their world standing at No.44 following an update to the rankings last week.
Gilas Women remained the seventh best in the region behind Australia which solidified its place at the second spot of the world rankings behind the USA. Asian powerhouse China likewise is still among the best at the No.4 spot next to third-best France.
Belgium, Spain, Canada, Nigeria, Brazil and Serbia rounded out the Top 10. Japan is still the third-best team in Asia at the No.11 spot though it slipped two spots from the previous spot at No. 9.
South Korea, New Zealand and Chinese Taipei are the teams from the Asia Pacific region that are ahead of Gilas Women’s in the standings, finishing at No.15, 21, and 36, respectively.
The Nationals, despite missing the services of top guns Afril Bernardino, Janine Pontejos and Chack Cabinbin due to their military duties, ended the tournament with a 1-4 record to keep their spot in the Division.
More importantly, its 93-90 win over Lebanon guaranteed the Filipinas a spot in the qualifying tournament for the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
The team featured rising stars Naomi Panganiban, Sumayah Sugapong, Kacey Dela Rosa, and Kent Pastrana alongside Gilas veterans Vanessa De Jesus and Jack Animam.
