Four-time UAAP women’s basketball champion Ria Nabalan gutted out a physical affair in the finals of inaugural UAAP Last One Standing tournament against Adamson’s Nathalia Prado, 8-6, at the SM Mall of Asia Atrium.
Nabalan drilled consecutive shots from rainbow country to take a decisve 8-4 lead with 1:32 on the game clock. Prado tried to come back, but her last-minute drives fell short, culmintating with heartbreaking misses with 20 seconds left.
The Season 80 Mythical Five member, after losing her first match of the day to UST’s Elondra Rivera, won the next four games to clinch the championship.
Prado needed sudden death to escape the semifinals against Ateneo’s Jhazmin Joson.
The pair traded turn taking baskets, leading to a frantic last minute in which both scored within the last 25 seconds. Tied at eight, the match went to sudden death overtime in which the Lady Falcons scored on her first drive to make the finals.
Nabalan then clung to an early lead to douse UE’s Jearzy Ganade.
Nabalan used her wide frame to get away from Ganade and build a 5-2 lead with 3:00 on the game clock. Ganade, however, slowly crawled back and eventually forced 7-all deadlock after drilling a triple with 20 ticks remaining. Nabalan, however, converted an and-1 play to ice the game.
