SHENZHEN (China) - Japan got lucky enough and escaped the Philippines, 85-82, for their second win in as many games in the FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2025, Monday night at the Shenzhen Sports Center.
What appeared to be a runaway victory for the 2023 silver medalists suddenly became a tight encounter late when their foes fired 18 straight points to turn a 22-point gap to just four, 83-79, with 13.4 seconds to go.
Gilas Women then tried to play the fouling game to freeze the clock but that backfired, somehow, as Monica Okoye calmly made both of her free throws with 12.1 ticks remaining to push their lead to six points, 85-79.
Vanessa De Jesus managed to hit a triple on the other end but time was no longer enough for the Southeast Asian side, and the Japanese would go on to heave a sigh of relief after overcoming another tough test.
With the squeaker, Team Japan have stayed perfect thus far in the tournament, forging as well a tie at the top spot of Group B with Australia, who also went 2-0 earlier in the day following a massive rout of Lebanon.
Interestingly, the two unbeaten sides are bound to face one another tomorrow, Tuesday, July 15, at 16:30 local time as they dispute the no. 1 seed of the pool, which merits a direct ticket to the Semi-Finals.
"We had a productive shootaround today and we went over a couple of keys, and we did those key things for the first three quarters. We didn't show discipline in the fourth quarter to keep doing it," head coach Corey Gaines said.
Team captain Maki Takada led the way with 20 points, 17 of which he made in the first half where the crew turned the game around in the opening period before going on a scoring spree in the second to be in control.
Japan actually fell behind narrowly, 7-11, but got the lead for the rest of the night when Minami Yabu hit a trey to spark a 13-0 run - capped by a Nanako Todo bucket - for a 31-18 advantage just before the first quarter ended.
Then came Takada in the following frame, scoring nine of her points to help grow the lead further. Gaines' charges led by 21 before heading back to the dugout for the halftime intermission with a 57-41 lead.
The lead would grow to its highest at 22, 83-61, early in the fourth, but the Philippines roared back strongly and the Japanese found themselves challenged again like how they felt versus the Lebanese on opening day.
Still, luck sided in their favor, although Gaines took responsibility for the near-collapse.
"I was trying to get rest for my starters - I didn't want them to play so many minutes because we have another game tomorrow," he explained. And three games in a row is very tough on players if you're tired."
"I can take the blame for maybe a little bit of that quarter," the veteran bench tactician furthered, "but we still have to show more discipline than that. I commend the Philippines ... they're fighters. I respect them."
Yabu finished with 15 points behind a 5-of-8 clip from deep for Japan. Norika Konno made 9 points and 4 rebounds while Okoye and Todo added 8 each as all 12 players scored at least 2 points in the triumph.
Leading Gilas Women, on the other hand, was Jack Animam with 24 points and 14 rebounds as the star center finally got her groove back after a paltry output during their loss to the Opals on Sunday night.
But it wasn't just her who bounced back as she received plenty of help in the near-upset. De Jesus, for one, came through with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and 6 assists in the 31 minutes she was on the floor.
Naomi Panganiban also had 13 points, spiked by a 3-of-5 clip from beyond the arc, alongside 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Sumayah Sugapong provided quality minutes off the bench as she made 12 points.
"It was a tough loss but it was a good bounce back from yesterday's game," said Philippines head coach Pat Aquino. "The girls have more grit now. They're playing together. Hopefully we get one more game as good as this."
Now at 0-2, the Philippines will have to beat Lebanon on Wednesday, July 16, to keep their hopes alive. Game time is set at 13:30 local time, with both teams looking for their first win of the tourney.
FIBA