Tantoy Ferrer made up for lost time as Discovery-Rizal cruised past RK Hoops-Quezon City, 82-46, keeping its bid for an outright semifinals slot alive in the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League regular season presented by Akari, Sunday evening at the Batangas City Coliseum.
Coming off their first loss after a five-game winning streak, Perlas relied on the combined efforts of Ferrer — who missed their 58-63 loss to San Juan-DN Steel last Sunday, September 21 — alongside Allana Lim and Raiza Palmera-Dy to improve to a 6-3 win-loss record.
They are now one game behind second-placed New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas (6-3) in the tournament backed by Uratex, Black Mamba, Red Dynasty, Aktive Balls, and Pocari Sweat.
Ferrer delivered a monster double-double of 16 points and 20 rebounds, adding five assists, four steals, and two blocks. Meanwhile, Lim contributed an efficient 20-point outing on 7-of-11 shooting, along with eight rebounds and two steals.
A loss by the Valkyries against Pangasinan Solar Home Suns later at 8:00 PM would allow Discovery-Rizal to share second place.
(C) WMPBL
“Tantoy was a big lift tonight. We missed her last game dahil nagkasakit siya. But still, we were in a position to win the ball game, but we did not finish it, kaya malaking boost siya,” Perlas head coach Derrick Pumaren said.
Ferrer and Perlas set the tone from the opening tip, building a 17-6 lead after the first quarter that paved the way for Discovery-Rizal to hold a 19-point, 46-27 halftime advantage.
Any hopes of a second-half rally by RK Hoops-Quezon City were dashed in the third quarter. There, the trio of Palmera-Dy, Lim, and Galicia took turns to push Perlas to a commanding 64-33 lead heading into the final frame.
A midrange jumper by Lim and an inside hit by Loraine Capilit extended Perlas’ lead to as much as 38 points, 78-40, with 3:14 remaining, effectively sealing Discovery-Rizal’s comeback victory.
“We still made a lot of mistakes. The goal for tonight was to clean up yung mistakes namin, but we still committed 26 turnovers. Tonight, ganon pa rin ‘eh, that was the main goal kaya I’m not quite happy about that kasi 26 turnovers is too much,” Pumaren added.
Palmera-Dy finished with 12 points, two rebounds, and one assist, while Tacky Tacatac contributed nine points, three assists, and two steals.
Such a dominant win sets the stage for a crucial showdown with New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas next Sunday, October 5, in Pangasinan.
(C) WMPBL
Meanwhile, RK Hoops-Quezon City continued to struggle, suffering their eighth loss in nine outings.
Cara Buendia was the lone player to score in double digits with 12 points on 3-of-7 shooting, along with seven rebounds.
RK Hoops-Quezon City will look to snap its eight-game skid when it faces Pangasinan Solar Home on the same date and venue.
The Scores:
Discovery-Rizal (82) – Lim 20, Ferrer 16, Palmera-Dy 12, Tacatac 9, Anies 7, Felisarta 5, Capilit 4, Galicia 4, Marcos 2, Sambile 2, Sison 1.
RK Hoops-Quezon City (46) – Buendia 12, Cayco 6, Aragon 5, Penaroyo 4, Alcantara 4, Escotido 4, Canayong 4, Flor 3, Bacuto 2, Molina 2, Dela Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 17-6, 46-27, 64-33, 82-46.
