National University’s campaign in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament continued to soar on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, thanks to another all-around masterclass from Ann Pingol.
Since the second round, the 5-foot-7 forward has emerged as a complete force for the Lady Bulldogs, and she proved it once again in NU’s 86-57 demolition of Adamson University.
Pingol finished with a remarkable stat line: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, and two blocks — marking her second straight triple-double.
Her previous outing came in NU’s 97-67 rout of De La Salle University last November 2, where she also notched 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Despite the personal milestones, Pingol kept her focus on the team, particularly the Lady Bulldogs’ sluggish start that saw them trailing 32-36 at halftime.
“Siguro yung less turnovers kasi nung first half, wala talaga. Tapos yung aggressiveness namin on the court kasi sabi nga ni coach na parang ang tamad namin sa first half so kaunting gising lang sa amin. Bumawi kami nung second half,” said the 24-year-old senior.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Pingol insisted that her back-to-back triple-doubles were a byproduct of following the team’s system and trusting her teammates to convert her passes.
“Hindi ko rin po kasing alam na ganito yung magiging stats ko,” she said.
“Nilalaro ko lang talaga yung laro ko and sinusunod ko lang yung sa system namin, at siyempre nasho-shoot lang din nila yung mga pasa ko.”
NU coach DA Olan praised Pingol’s selflessness, noting that assists depend on the skill of the shooter.
He also lauded the depth of the Lady Bulldogs, emphasizing that the team is never reliant on a single player, even one as dominant as Pingol.
“Probably kasi the assists are out of her control. Anytime it’s a good pass, of course, it wouldn’t be counted as an assist if her teammates don’t make the shot,” said Olan, a first-year head coach.
“We’re really lucky to have these types of players na anybody can explode or contribute any time, any game. Bilang coach, sabi ko sa kanila na I’m really lucky to have these types of players, pero hindi dito natatatapos yun.”
While celebrating the team’s talent, Olan also issued a stern reminder to avoid complacency as NU prepares for the Final Four.
The Lady Bulldogs will face stiff competition from University of the East, Far Eastern University, and University of Santo Tomas in the closing stretch of the elimination round.
“It’s gonna be harder, lalo na sa mga parating na games namin,” Olan said.
“We just need to work hard more and in any game na parating, we cannot take it lightly. We cannot relax.”
