Gilas Pilipinas Women tasted their first loss in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
The Philippine national women's basketball team dropped to a 2-1 win-loss record after falling to Japan, 96-59, on Sunday, October 1.
Only Janine Pontejos, who finished with 13 points, scored double digits for the Filipinas who trailed behind by 39 points at most.
The Japanese team never felt threatened after scoring the first 11 points of the match.
By the end of the first quarter, the Philippines already dropped to a 21-point hole, 35-14.
Aika Hirashita scored 26 points and Saki Hayashi added 17 points to lead Japan, which remains undefeated after three games.
While the Filipinas failed to defend their undefeated run, their victories against Kazakhstan, 83-59, and Hong Kong, 99-63, still secured them a spot in the quarterfinals.
The Philippines will seek to make a comeback and secure a ticket to the semifinals when the squad faces South Korea on Monday, October 2.
