RESERVE players, led by Fil-American point guard Nevaeh Smith, provided points for the Gilas Pilipinas Women’s National Team as they fended off Iran, 83-60, on Sunday evening (Monday morning in Manila) and claimed the crown in the the FIBA U16 Women’s Asian Championship 2023-Division B in Amman, Jordan.
The 5’3” Smith, who is from Los Angeles, California, went on to finish with 21 points, spiked by five crucial triples in helping the Filipinas get promoted to the tougher Division A.
Smith’s game was one of the reasons which got national coach Patrick Aquino excited after the memorable game with the Iranians.
“They came out well. Medyo jittery in the first few minutes. But, it was the second five which sparked the rally,” said Aquino in an interview with the Manila Standard as the Philippines celebrated their entry into Division A.
The Filipinas, slightly ahead in the start of the first period, 19-15, drew strength on the efforts of Kimi Sayson, Aubrey Lapasaran and Ariel La’O to move away for good.
Sayson’s two triples, along with barrelling shots from Lapasaran and La’O, saw the Filipinas widening a four-point lead, and taking a 41-26 halftime spread.
It was Smith’s trey with three ticks to before the first half ended, which allowed the Filipinas to grab a 15-point edge.
“Hindi lang dalawa ang nag-contribute. Lahat sila,” said Aquino, before they left home to Manila.
With the historic win, the Team Philippines redeemed themselves from a disappointing finish last year.
Last year, the Philippines was the favorite to rule the Division B after sweeping their three-game Group Phase.
But the Filipinas lost their chance when they fell to Samoa in the semis and eventually settled for a third-place finish.
“I’m just happy to see that we can compete that well,” added Aquino.
Helya Houdneh and Fatemeh Jafari tallied 14 points apiece for Iran.
Earlier, Malaysia fought off Hong Kong, 52-46, to finish third, with Ke Xin Lee scoring 11 points and 7 rebounds.
The Filipinas reached the finals after Ava Fajardo took charge with 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Gilas Women’s National Team when they they crushed Malaysia, 74-44, in their knock out semifinals contest.
