Gilas Pilipinas Women maximized their fast-paced style of play to register a dominant 86-58 victory over Kazakhstan in their opening match of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Head coach Burke ‘BT’ Toews praised the squad for adhering to defensive game plans, which yielded 26 steals and generated quick transition opportunities.
The Nationals countered Kazakhstan’s size advantage with a swift offensive attack, storming out to an early 25-9 advantage and maintaining control throughout the contest, stretching their lead to as much as 39 points.
“If you’ve got players following your defensive rules, and the team is trying to stop the ball as five people, then any intensity above that is a bonus. It’s not that I don’t want to praise intensity, but I think being intense in basketball is something that’s obvious. But I was more impressed with the execution of the defense in the details,” said Toews.
Playing without key figures Jack Animam, Vanessa De Jesus, Kacey Dela Rosa, and Sophia Dignadice—who competed in last month’s Olympic qualifying tournament in Mexico—Toews relied on full-court pressure and quickness to gain the upper hand.
“First, I thought that this group’s stamina, ability to not run out of gas, was far better than the first group that I had. I also thought, okay, we’re pretty small, so we better make use of the full court,” said Toews.
Veterans Afril Bernardino and Janine Pontejos, together with naturalized player Elizabeth Means and point guard Stefanie Berberabe, directed the offense to seal the decisive win.
Gilas Women will look to build on their opening victory when they face Hong Kong on Sunday, September 20.