Malaysia beats Gilas Youth in U18 Asian Championship semifinals
Published on September 11, 2022

Gilas Pilipinas Youth lost a 66-65 heartbreaker against Malaysia in the semifinals of the FIBA U18 Women’s Asian Championship 2022, Saturday in India.

Gilas Youth showed their toughness in the game as they battled back from a 12-point deficit in the second quarter to reclaim the lead midway in the third quarter. From there it was a back-and-forth affair between both teams.

With less than a minute left in the fourth quarter and Malaysia ahead by two points, Kate Bobadilla found the equalizer to knot the game at 62. Gilas Youth then put on a defensive stand in the final 18 seconds of the game to send the game to overtime.

In the extra period, Bobadilla once again hit a big basket with 40 seconds left in the game to put Gilas up by one, 65-64. Malaysia answered back in the final 10 seconds to take a one-point lead. 

The Philippines had a chance to win the game, but Bobadilla missed a layup in the final seconds allowing Malaysia to escape with the win.

Bobadilla led the way for Gilas with 19 points and nine rebounds. Liane Loon scored 17 points and hit five triples. Camille Nolasco and Sydney Heyn combined for 12 points and four 3-pointers.

With this loss, Gilas misses out on the opportunity to play for a Division A promotion. They move on to a third-place battle against Samoa at 1:45 PM on Sunday.