By: Dominic Adrian Veloso
Playing comfortably on her home floor at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, Karylle Sierba put on a show for the Thomasian crowd, exploding for a career-high 35 points to lead defending champion University of Santo Tomas to a dominant 90-67 victory over Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Sierba proved right at home in the Growling Tigresses’ den, finishing with 35 points on 9-of-18 shooting, six steals, four rebounds, two assists, and one block in 22 minutes and 46 seconds of play. Her career-best performance eclipsed the previous season-high of 31 points set by Kacey dela Rosa, who shot 11-of-19 in an 87-77 loss to National University last October 3 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Behind the heroics of the homegrown product from Mauban, Quezon, UST remained unbeaten through five games, winning by an average margin of 33.2 points per contest in the highly competitive UAAP women’s basketball field.
“Super happy kasi hindi ko talaga in-expect ito. Naglalaro lang talaga ako nang walang iniisip na iba kundi makatulong sa team. Super happy lang talaga. Hindi ko in-expect ito,” Sierba said after the game, in which she also posted a game-high plus-33 efficiency rating.
The 20-year-old guard’s heroics proved timely as the Growling Tigresses faced their toughest test yet in Season 89, with the Blue Eagles staying within striking distance and trailing by just five points, 66-61, with more than eight minutes remaining.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
However, Sierba received timely support from Brigette Santos, Erinn Mcalary, CJ Maglupay, and Nigerian center Oma Onianwa, as the Growling Tigresses joined forces for a decisive 22-3 run that put Ateneo in an insurmountable 88-64 hole with less than two minutes to play.
Beyond her career-best outing, Sierba was simply happy that the entire UST squad continued to fight until the final buzzer, allowing the Growling Tigresses to preserve their unbeaten record as they pursued a second consecutive UAAP women’s basketball championship.
“Focus lang kami sa game. Malayo pa yung season. Sumunod lang kami sa game plan ni coach and super happy lang kasi lahat naman nag-effort at sobrang ganda ng binigay na laban ng Ateneo. Hindi ko in-expect na ito yung score ko, pero pag pinapasok ako ni Coach Haydee, 100 percent yung binibigay ko,” Sierba shared.
For head coach Haydee Ong, playing on their home floor provided additional motivation for UST, especially with Season 88 Finals MVP and Gilas Pilipinas Women standout Kent Pastrana in attendance.
“Every game naman, we really respect our opponent. We really give our 100 percent kahit anong team pa ‘yan. Added bonus na lang din na we’re playing here sa aming den sa QPAV. Siguro medyo inspired at medyo may energy din yung mga bata dahil they’re playing here sa UST,” Ong said.
Still, with the program having lost the services of Pastrana and Eka Soriano, Ong stressed the importance of Sierba and Mcalary maintaining their consistent form as the Growling Tigresses navigate a competitive eight-team field that includes the Lady Bulldogs, the Blue Eagles, and the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws.
“Si Karylle talaga, baller talaga. Si Erinn, I always tell her nung first year niya and coming into her sophomore year na dapat gayahin niya si Karylle na medyo makapal ang mukha,” said Ong.
“Hopefully, as the games go on until the second round, they both become consistent, playing superb on both ends of the court.”
