A struggle to contain Korea's fluid and high-octane offense proved too much for the Gilas Pilipinas Women, as they absorbed a tough 104-71 defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup.
This marks the fourth consecutive loss for Gilas against their Korean counterparts.
Despite flashes of resilience, the Philippines simply couldn't keep up with Korea's pace, shooting precision, and disciplined ball movement -- evident from the world No.13 Korean squad shooting a blistering 16-of-33 (48.5%) from beyond the arc.
Kang Yoo-Lim led the long-range onslaught with 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting from deep, while Lee Hae-Ran added 24 points in just under 20 minutes of action.
Philippines had a hard time with Korea's offensive rhythm early, falling behind by as much as 27 points in the first half -- a margin that proved too steep to overcome despite a more-competitive showing in the last two quarters.
Korea's 33 assists to the Philippines' 17 also reflected the ball movement gap between the two sides.
Still, there were bright spots for Gilas that hint at promise in the program's continued growth.
Panganiban, De Jesus, and Ozar showed offensive flashes
Amid Korea's sharpshooting display, Gilas had its own trio of gunners who answered from long distance.
Naomi Panganiban led the team in scoring with 13 points and knocked down three triples, including a pair in the second half that momentarily energized the Filipinas.
Louna Ozar chipped in with ten points on 57.1% shooting from the field and showed potential as a floor spacer.
Vanessa De Jesus, the Duke standout, had an efficient outing as well, scoring ten points while going 3-of-5 from three.
While the collective 9-of-24 shooting from deep (37.5%) wasn't enough to match Korea's clip, the consistent range from these three guards was a positive takeaway.
Their ability to stretch the floor and create scoring options from the perimeter gives Gilas a solid foundation moving forward -- especially as De Jesus continues to grow into her lead playmaking role.
Bench boost from Dela Rosa and Pastrana
Another encouraging sign was the quality production from Gilas' second unit.
Kacey Dela Rosa provided some semblance of presence inside the paint with ten points, as Jack Animam had troubles to get her offensive rhythm in the game with just three points.
Though undersized against Korea's frontcourt, Dela Rosa's quickness and fearlessness gave the Philippines brief surges of energy.
Kent Pastrana stepped in as a sparkplug off the bench, making the most of her 19 minutes on the floor with eight points and six rebounds. Her aggressiveness in terms of the scoring department injected much-needed energy for Gilas, especially during their stronger stretches in the second half.
Though the loss marked the end of their medal hopes, the Gilas Women continue to show signs of growth, especially from their young core. With more international exposure and time together, this squad has the tools to compete better against Asia's best in the years to come.
Gilas Women's next game will be in the classification match against New Zealand to decide who gets the fifth spot in the Asia Cup tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. local time. A win will see them better their 6th place finish in 2023.