Gilas Women miss Asian Games semis after loss to Chinese Taipei

DRIVE. Afril Bernardino in action for Gilas Women in the 2026 Asian Games.

PSC-POC Media Pool

Afril Bernardino leads all scorers, but her effort goes for naught as Gilas Women crash out of the Asian Games quarterfinals for the second time in a row

AT A GLANCE

• Gilas Women were eliminated from the Asian Games quarterfinals after losing 83-71 to Chinese Taipei, marking their second consecutive missed opportunity for a final four appearance.
• Afril Bernardino led the team with 23 points, but the Filipinas struggled to keep pace after a strong start, ultimately falling behind due to a 15-4 run by their opponents in the first quarter.
• The team finished the group stage with a 2-1 record but faced a similar fate as in 2023, where they also lost in the quarterfinals, this time to South Korea.

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MANILA, Philippines – For the second straight Asian Games, Gilas Women missed out on a breakthrough final four appearance.

The Filipinas’ run ended at the hands of Chinese Taipei as they absorbed an 83-71 loss in the quarterfinals at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Thursday, September 24.

Veteran forward Afril Bernardino delivered a game-high 23 points to go with 7 rebounds and 2 steals, but her effort went for naught in the defeat that saw Gilas Women play catchup from almost start to finish.

Although the Philippines enjoyed a 5-0 start off a Bernardino three-pointer and a Camille Malagar bucket, the Taiwanese ended the opening quarter on a 15-4 run and never trailed the rest of the way.

Janine Pontejos added 12 points, Stefani Berberabe put up 12 points and 4 assists, while Kent Pastrana finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals for the Filipinas, who suffered the same fate as their 2023 campaign.

In the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China, Gilas Women also advanced to the quarterfinals but got clobbered by South Korea. 

Gilas Women missed the usual production of naturalized player Elizabeth Means, who tallied just 4 points and 3 rebounds after averaging 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 steals in the group stage. 

Young center Hsiao Yu-wen dominated for Chinese Taipei with a 14-point, 17-rebound double-double, while Huang Ling-chuan and Han Ya-en chimed in 13 and 11 points, respectively. 

Bunched in Group B, Gilas Women compiled a 2-1 record after blowing out Kazakhstan, 86-58, and Hong Kong, 90-73, before they fell to 2023 runner-up Japan in an 89-67 loss.

The Scores

Chinese Taipei 83 – Hsiao 14, Huang L. 13, Han 11, Lin Y. 10, Peng H. 9, Chen 7, Peng S. 6, Huang H. 5, Cheng 5, Lin W. 3, Lin T. 0.

Philippines 71 – Bernardino 23, Pontejos 12, Berberabe 12, Pastrana 11, Means 4, Yam 4, Malagar 3, Pingol 2, Surada 0, Del Carmen 0, Joson 0, Clarin 0.