Gilas Women hope 'spark' will continue after best finish in FIBA Asia Cup

The Philippine women's national basketball team finished sixth overall on Saturday in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup after falling to South Korea, 80-71, but for the Gilas Pilipinas Women, their best finish in the tournament should serve as a spark for the future of the national team.

National team head coach Patrick Aquino said the gaps in performance are already being filled by the women's squad.

"We fell short but still proud of the girls. They never gave up. I think the gaps are closing for us. I hope that we continue doing this in the future or when we come back. It's great energy for us in preparing for the next one," said Aquino in the post-game conference.

"We came here to compete, not just to play relegation games. I think the girls were prepared enough to have that confidence and competitive attitude and we hope that the energy would not just be this year but in the future."

For him, their achievement in the Asia Cup was a preview of what the national team could look like in the future.

"I'm really proud of the girls. [They] embraced the future of what we're gonna have for Philippine women's basketball. I hope this spark will burn like a big burn in the coming years," he said.

Jhasmin Jozon, meanwhile, said she is proud that they gave their all, no matter what the circumstances were, in the competition.

"What I'm really proud about is that we fought until the end. It doesn't matter if they're tall, or top three. It doesn't matter. We just played our hearts out and we just played as a team. That's what matters," she said.

Aquino also hopes their run will receive continuous support from Filipinos.

"For me, it's [about] making the noise, not just men's basketball, but women's basketball is coming right up. I hope the support will continue and get bigger,"

The Gilas Women opened their campaign with losses against Australia and Japan before getting their first win against Chinese Taipei. New Zealand escaped the Philippines, 83-78, in the semis qualification before Gilas wrapped up its campaign against Korea.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News