The University of the Philippines women’s basketball program in the UAAP has long struggled.
But now, they’ve begun Season 86 with two resounding victories over Adamson University and the University of the East.
The Fighting Maroons dominated the Lady Falcons, winning 92-61; then proceeded to defeat the Lady Warriors with a score of 66-48. Both of these teams were the last remaining winless teams in the eight-team field, both at 0-4.
Following that, UP demonstrated to the league that their first two wins were no fluke. They handed National University its first loss, with a score of 72-69, and narrowly won 64-61 against Far Eastern University.
In their third consecutive close game, UP came out on top again, this time in overtime. They defeated the University of Santo Tomas, 73-69, on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
UP head coach Paul Ramos was pleased that her Fighting Maroons executed well in close games, resulting in a 5-0 win-loss record, their best start since Season 71.
“I’m happy that we won on a close game because as I’ve said, those are the facets that we can still get better and today, I’m happy that there are new faces here,” said Ramos, referring to the players accompanying him in the postgame interview.
“We’re just trying to get better, that’s all. We’re happy, we’re glad that we won on a close game but we’re still learning.”
Second-year players Christie Bariquit and Kaye Pesquera displayed maturity beyond their years, both on and off the court. Bariquit contributed significantly with a plus-20 rating in their four-point win over UST, scoring 15 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
Pesquera, on the other hand, scored 17 points, including four made three-pointers.
“Kapag nakikita ko ang teammates ko, gusto ko lang sila i-motivate. Lalaban tayo, kalma lang. Full heart lang kami sa laro,” said Bariquit as UP fell behind by 10 points in the third quarter but never faltered.
“Every time kapag nagkamomentum yung kalaban, yung mindset ko and yung sinasabi namin sa team is full heart lang, hindi pa tapos yung laban,” added Pesquera.
Louna Ozar, UP’s prized recruit from France, also shared one of the team’s best practices during difficult times, just as when the Growling Tigresses took control in the third quarter.
Ozar contributed with 16 points, four steals, and two assists but also committed a game-high eight turnovers.
“We have good cohesion, and we support everyone on the court. We don’t blame because it’s not a good thing,” said the 19-year-old guard.
UP will close the first round against De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University.
According to Ramos, despite their unbeaten record, they are still far from their peak, and they must continue to work on their game to finally end a 15-year Final Four drought.
“We’re not there yet; there’s more work to be done. We’re still improving, so I hope we get better in the next game.”
