Nagtagumpay ang Gilas Women ng Pilipinas sa isang dramatic na 74-59 comeback laban sa world No. 19 Colombia sa FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament sa France, na unang pagkatalo nila sa non-Asian opponent.
Sa Lyon-Villeurbanne, France, noong Martes, Marso 18, nakapagpakitang-galing ang Gilas Women sa kanilang huling laro ng tournament. Bagamat nauna nang natalo sa France (115-66), Germany (113-80), Nigeria (101-84), at South Korea (105-74) na may average na 32.5 points deficit, nagbalik ang Pilipinas mula sa 10-point deficit (36-26) at halftime lead ng Colombia (40-33). Sa third quarter, nag-lead si team captain Afril Bernardino ng 18-4 run na nagbigay ng 51-44 lead, na hindi na nawala. Si Kacey dela Rosa ang nashine na may 25 points, 19 rebounds, at 5 blocks, habang si Sumayah Sugapong ay nagdagdag ng 21 points, 3 assists, at 2 steals. Ayon sa head coach Patrick Aquino, “Looking at the matchups, the height gaps, and everything that happened, obviously, we are physically outmatched by everyone, [b]ut the girls proved that Filipinas can play basketball. Definitely, we’re up to this world-class level.” Dagdag pa niya, “it’s a journey that we’ll cherish forever. Winning the first game outside Asia, against a top-caliber team, it means a lot back home.” Sinabi naman ni Sugapong, “I think we did a lot for our country. I think we represented well and I think we’re going to be able to go home on a good note.” Ang panalo na ito ay mahalaga para sa programa ng Gilas Women, na nanalo sa tatlo sa apat na huling Southeast Asian Games at nananatili sa Division A ng FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. Qualified naman sa World Cup ang Germany, Nigeria, France, at Korea.
