Gilas standout Afril Bernardino scored the first basket against towering Hungary but the world number 16 scored 14 unanswered points in response and never looked back, trouncing the 40th rank Philippine women’s national basketball team on its first game against a European team, 97-60, to gain its first win in the 2026 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers in Kigali on Wednesday midnight.
The Hungarians, led by southpaw spitfire Agnes Torok and 6’10” center Bernadett Hatar of the Washington Mystics, maximized their height advantage and played selfless basketball to rout the shellshocked Pinays.
Hungary asserted their dominance, hauling 57 rebounds as against Gilas’ 24 and dishing out 29 assists to Gilas’ 14.
Torok led Hungary with 25 points and four assists, shooting perfectly from inside the arc and missing only one triple for a 10-of-11 shooting clip.
“We stuck to the game plan for forty minutes, which was really important against this team,” Torok said. “We also fought on every ball and every rebound. We focused on the scouting report.”
Bernardino led the Philippines with 11 points, six rebounds, and four steals while popular point guard Ella Fajardo, who was scoreless on Monday’s game versus Brazil, added 10 points.
Noticeably lacking was center Jack Danielle Animam, who only had six points and one rebound in 24 minutes after Monday’s outing of 18 points, 21 rebounds, and four blocks.
“It’s a tough loss,” Fajardo commented after the game. “This one’s actually hurts more than the first game because we know that in the first game, it was like we came out as underdogs but we felt like the bigger person on the court.”
“I know that this game isn’t part of our identity as a program and as a team and i know we’re gonna bounce back stronger,” she added.
The blowout has sent the Philippines to its second straight loss and on the brink of elimination while Hungary bounced back from a shock 61-63 loss against Senegal.
The Philippines will try to finish with a win against world number 25 Senegal on Thursday afternoon.
The scores:
Hungary 97 – Torok 25, Lelik 13, Dubei 13, Dombai 9, Angyal 8, Toth 8, Kiss 6, Hatar 6, Kanyasi 4, Studer 4, Miklos 1, Varga 0.
Philippines 60 – Bernardino 11, Fajardo 10, Dela Rosa 9, Panganiban 9, Animam 6, Berberabe 5, Ozar 4, Yumul 3, Castillo 3, Pontejos 0, Nolasco 0.
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Quarter scores: 23-14, 28-10, 24-20, 22-16
