The Philippine women’s national basketball team ended its FIBA Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament on a high note, securing a breakthrough victory over Senegal, according to ABS-CBN. The win marked the squad’s first of the competition.
ABS-CBN reported that the result came in the team’s final game of the tournament. The victory over Senegal followed a difficult stretch for Gilas Women, who had entered the contest without a win in the event.
ESPN Philippines highlighted the performance of Sophia Dignadice, describing her showing as a glimpse of the team’s bright future. The outlet’s coverage pointed to the young player’s contribution as a positive takeaway from the match.
The win closed out a challenging campaign for the Philippines, which earlier suffered a heavy loss to Canada. According to the Daily Tribune, Canada defeated the Filipinas by 47 points in that matchup. The Inquirer.net also reported on that defeat, noting that Gilas Women remained winless in the Pre-OQT before the Senegal game.
FIBA’s own coverage of the tournament focused on Canada and Mexico, both of whom achieved their first goal of reaching the semi-finals. That context underscores the level of competition the Philippines faced in the preliminary round.
With the Pre-OQT now complete, attention turns to what comes next for the national women’s program. The result against Senegal, and the emergence of players like Dignadice, gives the team something to build on as it looks ahead to future international competitions.
