SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - It couldn't get any better than this.
On her 15th birthday, Tiffany Reyes instead gave the sweetest of presents to a Philippines team badly in need of a win in the FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup 2025 - one that she and her peers would cherish for a long time.
In a solid display of maturity beyond her years, the 1.87 M (6'1") guard knocked down a fly-by jumper from near the free throw line to beat the buzzer and stun Korea by way of a 77-75 decision at the Karisma Arena here.
"It feels amazing to hit the game-winner on my birthday. It's my first one, so it’s definitely gonna be very memorable," reflected Reyes, as her clutch shot gave the Gilas Girls their breakthrough win in Division A.
That game-winner also capped off her best outing of the tilt to date. She finished with 16 points, spiked by a quartet of three-pointers, as she helped lead their fourth-quarter assault against the East Asian side.
Reyes scored half of her points in the said period, helping the Philippines build a 69-60 advantage before showing that she can deliver when the going gets tough by coming through with the biggest play of her career yet.
In fact, she was also responsible in keeping the possession to themselves that eventually led to that shot, when she hauled down the missed free throw of teammate Ruiza Olmos with less than 10 seconds left.
But none of that would be possible without her teammates. Makeena Ramos, upon receiving Zia Onate's inbound, consciously looked for Reyes before handing it off to the latter, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"A lot of things were going on my mind when Makenna handed it off to me," said the second-generation hooper, who also had 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. "All I could think of was, 'Don’t mess up and just shoot it.'"
Clearly she didn't, leading to the first-ever game-winning buzzer-beater of this year's games which also propelled the Philippines to the Qualification to Semi-Finals, where they will take on three-time champs China.
But more importantly, they've proven that they belong in Division A.
"I’m proud that my team has made history as the first group to win and stay in Division A. We still get to prove that we truly belong here," said Reyes, who's playing for Sycamore High School in the United States.
It’s always important to enjoy the game that you love.
All in all, it's turning out to be a commendable run for Reyes personally in Seremban, After Wednesday, she's now averaging 10.3 points on nearly 43-percent shooting from beyond the arc in 24.2 minutes of play.
Well, it should no longer be a surprise, because she's been one of Gilas Girls' more experienced pieces. She was part of the team that helped rule Division B of the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup 2024 to earn the promotion.
"Playing in the U18 last year gave me an experience that I can apply at the U16 level," she said. "I can share these experiences with my teammates, the strategies and learnings in order for my team to succeed."
She's willingly embraced that kind of role for the Philippine women's youth team, a kind of assertiveness which should leave any coach smiling. Still, Reyes hasn't forgotten - and surely won't - the very essence of sport.
"I’m just having fun and learning at the same time," she said. "Because playing internationally is a big thing that not many people get to do, So I’m just taking it all in and creating memories with my teammates."
"This experience has also taught me to be more mature and meet new people, which is great," added the daughter of one-time Gilas Men campaigner Jay-R Reyes. "It’s always important to enjoy the game that you love."
FIBA