Gilas Girls rout Vietnam by 51 in FIBA U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers

Gilas Pilipinas Girls delivered a statement performance on home soil, overwhelming Vietnam, 93-42, to kick off their 2026 FIBA U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers campaign on Tuesday night in Bacolod City.

The national youth squad also handed head coach Sandy Arespacochaga a winning debut after he took over the reins last month.

Vietnam kept it close after the first quarter with Gilas Pilipinas holding only a 19-14 lead after the first 10 minutes. But Gilas pulled away in the second period with the 5-foot-8 Zuzzane Singson bullying her way in the paint to give the hosts a 31-15 lead.

The 24-point explosion in the second quarter allowed Gilas to take a comfortable 45-21 cushion over the Vietnamese at the break before they poured in 19 points in the third to stretch the separation to 31, 64-33.

There was no sign of slowing down for the young Filipina ballers with the 6-foot-1 Tiffany Reyes opening the payoff period with a booming triple before Sophia Dignadice completed a layup that sent Gilas to a massive 70-35 advantage with still 6:51 left in the game.

Reyes top-scored with 14 points alongside five rebounds, two steals, and one assist to lead the charge.

Gilas, which is already assured of an Asia Cup spot due to winning the Division B in 2024 and earning a Division A spot, improved to 1-0 alongside Indonesia, which posted a 66-49 win over Singapore earlier today.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News