GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Gilas Pilipinas Women appeared headed for an impressive opening victory in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.
Instead, a commanding 15-point advantage disappeared, a 10-point fourth-quarter cushion evaporated, and host Mexico walked away with a dramatic 61-58 comeback victory that immediately raised the stakes for the Filipinas’ road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The Philippines controlled much of the opening half at Arena Astros in Guadalajara, building a 35-20 advantage with 3:24 remaining in the second quarter before carrying a 37-25 lead into halftime. Gilas had started strongly behind Vanessa De Jesus and Jack Animam, taking a 22-16 advantage after the first quarter.
FIBA’s official statistics show just how dramatically the momentum shifted. The Philippines outscored Mexico 22-16 in the opening quarter and 15-9 in the second, but Mexico responded by winning the third quarter 15-10 and dominating the fourth, 21-11.
Gilas Still Led by 10—Then Mexico Struck
Even after Mexico began its second-half comeback, the Filipinas seemed to have enough breathing room.
A pair of free throws from De Jesus and a basket from Animam helped Gilas establish a 57-47 advantage in the fourth quarter. But that would prove to be the Philippines’ final comfortable moment of the game.
Mexico suddenly caught fire.
Mayra Gil buried a three-pointer to ignite the rally. Alexia Lagunas followed with a jumper before Hazel Ramirez completed a three-point play that pulled Mexico to within two at 57-55. Gil later tied the contest before Ramirez pushed the hosts ahead, 59-57, with just 1:09 remaining.
The collapse was particularly painful because Gilas had led for more than 32 minutes and had controlled significant portions of the contest. FIBA recorded the Philippines’ biggest lead at 15 points, while Mexico’s largest advantage was only three.
Animam Had a Chance to Tie It
With the game hanging in the balance, veteran center Jack Animam went to the free-throw line with 21 seconds remaining.
She converted only one of two attempts, cutting Mexico’s advantage to 59-58 instead of tying the game.
Mexico’s Destiny Pitts then split her own free throws to make it 60-58. In the closing seconds, another costly Philippine mistake led to an unsportsmanlike foul against De Jesus, and Anisa Jeffries added a free throw to complete the 61-58 result.
For newly installed Gilas Women head coach BT Toews, the defeat was especially frustrating because the Philippines had already done much of the difficult work required to win.
Toews said his players felt they had allowed the game to slip from their grasp, pointing to a second half in which the Philippines lost control of rebounding, paint scoring and turnovers while committing costly mistakes at crucial moments.
Vanessa De Jesus Leads Gilas
De Jesus finished as the Philippines’ leading scorer with 15 points, while Animam contributed 14 points and six rebounds. Kacey Dela Rosa grabbed 10 rebounds and scored six points before fouling out late in the contest.
Mexico was powered by Anisa Jeffries, who produced 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Hazel Ramirez added 12 points.
The final score, however, told only part of the story.
Gilas shot 35% from the field compared with Mexico’s 37%, according to FIBA. The Filipinas also struggled at the free-throw line, converting 53.3% of their attempts, while Mexico made only 44%.
Why the Loss Matters for Gilas Women
The tournament in Guadalajara is an important early pathway toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Eight countries are divided into two four-team groups. The Philippines is in Group B alongside Canada, Mexico and Senegal, with every country playing three group-stage games. The top two teams from each group advance to the semifinals.
Only the tournament champion will earn a direct berth in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in February 2028, making every group-stage result potentially decisive. Teams that fail to win this tournament can still pursue Olympic qualification through their respective 2027 continental championships.
That makes the Mexico defeat particularly costly.
Instead of beginning the tournament 1-0 after leading by 15, Gilas now enters its next assignment needing a major response against world No. 7 Canada, which opened its campaign with a 72-57 victory over Senegal.
The Philippines and Canada are scheduled to meet at 7:30 a.m. Philippine time on Thursday, August 20, according to Philippine reports and FIBA’s Guadalajara schedule.
For Gilas Women, the challenge is no longer simply proving they can compete with strong international opposition.
They already showed that against Mexico.
The bigger question is whether they can recover quickly enough from a game they appeared to have already won—and keep their Olympic qualifying campaign alive.
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