SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - The Philippines proved that they belong after earning their first win of the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2026 by coming from behind to beat New Zealand, 69-64, on Tuesday at the Karisma Arena.
Rhiane Perez came through with the most important play of the bout, converting a layup off a foul for the 65-64 lead with 49.8 seconds left to put themselves ahead for good as the opposition struggled to respond.
Key stops and free throws by Zaydhen Rosano and Grace Curley inside the game's final 24.0 seconds sealed the deal as Gilas Youth went on to give the program its first-ever victory in Division A competitions.
And in just their debut campaign at this level, the team of Coach Sandy Arespacochaga are headed to the Qualification to Semi-Finals on Thursday, as they clinched the 3rd spot in Group A with a 1-2 record.
Rosano top-scored for the Philippines with 23 points and 7 rebounds, while Perez submitted a full line of 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block as they bannered the fightback from down 39-30 at the half.
The two powered their 11-0 start to the third quarter to take the 41-39 lead, before the others such as Ruiza Olmos and Grace Curley helped out as the crew completely owned their foes from Oceania in the said period, 20-4.
Gilas Youth would even lead by as many as nine points, 52-43, after Curley cleaned up Olmos' missed layup to open the deciding chapter, before the Junior Tall Ferns staged a comeback of their own.
They even regained the upper hand at 64-63 with 55.4 seconds to go after Keija Miringaorangi's perfect trip to the line, but it proved to be their final stand as Perez and the rest of the Philippines finished much stronger.
The Southeast Asian side will now turn their attention to the Semi-Finals' play-in, where they will be taking on the No. 2 team in Group B which could either be Japan or China, both of whom are playing as of this posting.
Miringaorangi, on the other hand, led New Zealand with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Madelin Eliadis made 14 points and 6 rebounds, while Gia Vukona added 10 points and 6 rebounds for a team that fell to 0-3.
By finishing at 4th in the pool, the Junior Tall Ferns will play in the Classification 7-8 game on Thursday as well, against the team finishing 4th in Group B. The losing side will get relegated to Division B in 2028.
Clinching the top spot in Group A, meanwhile, were Australia after subduing Korea earlier in the day, 92-56, booking a direct ticket to the Semi-Finals - and a spot at the FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2027.
FIBA