Asiabasket U16: Gilas Girls stun Korea on Tiffany Reyes’ winner in Fiba U16 Asia Cup

Gilas Pilipinas Girls stayed alive in the Fiba U16 Women’s Asia Cup with a dramatic 77-75 win over South Korea on Wednesday at Arena Seremban in Malaysia. In a must-win game, Tifanny Reyes (187-C-2010) delivered the game-winner at the buzzer to lift the Philippines past the Koreans and into the playoff for a semifinal berth. The victory is the program’s first in Division A. South Korea looked poised to advance when Seun Lim (170-G-2009) hit a jumper with 15 seconds left for a 75-74 lead. Lim finished with a game-high 31 points. After that huge run from Korea came a miracle from Gilas Pilipinas. After Ruiza Olmos (176-C-2009) split her free throws with 10 seconds remaining to tie the game, the Philippines put the ball in Tifanny Reyes’ hands. Tifanny Reyes, who is celebrating her birthday on Wednesday, shrugged off her defenders at the top of the key before soaring for a mid-range jumper at the buzzer. She finished with 16 points. Ella Smith (172-F-2010) paced Gilas girls, who finally entered the win column after a 0-2 start, with 21 points, while Ruiza Olmos added 12. Gilas Pilipinas finished third in Group A behind leader Australia, which earned the outright ticket to the semifinals, and Chinese Taipei.

Damhee Kim (174-C-2009) delivered the goods for the Koreans with 26 points, but it all went down the drain. They are set to play in the classification phase. The Gilas girls now head to a qualification game for a semifinal spot against a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Friday.
Courtesy of: sports.inquirer.net