Rhianne Perez recorded a triple-double as defending champion University of Santo Tomas cruised past Ateneo de Manila University, 136-32, to secure back-to-back wins and remain undefeated in the UAAP Season 88 Girls’ Basketball Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
Similar to their rout of the De La Salle Zobel Junior Archers last Wednesday, the Junior Growling Tigresses shook off another slow start with a pivotal second-quarter surge behind Indonesian center Koukou Talla, Pia Petalcorin, and Lea Pinuela, before leaning on Perez’s brilliance in the second half.
The UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year and Elite Team member finished with 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting. She also had 11 assists, 10 rebounds, five steals, and one block, posting a game-high plus-89 rating in 29 minutes and four seconds of play.
The last player to record a triple-double in the division was Perez’s former teammate, Season 87 MVP Barby Dajao. She tallied 15 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 91-66 second-round win over National University Nazareth School on March 6, 2025.
With the wire-to-wire triumph, the Junior Growling Tigresses claimed solo first place in the four-team field with a 2-0 record. They also built significant momentum ahead of a rematch of the Season 87 Finals against the Lady Bullpups on Sunday, February 1, at the same venue.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Medyo shaky ulit yung first quarter namin, pero at least, nakikita ko yung players na medyo nagse-settle down na. I don’t know how long would it take, pero I just hope na pagdating ng next game namin, mawala na yung mga jitters nila,” UST head coach Arsenio Dysangco said.
After a slow opening quarter in which the Blue Eagles stayed within striking distance at 18-14, the Junior Growling Tigresses quickly recovered. They put together a dominant 41-8 second-quarter run — capped by consecutive layups from Pau Arciaga and Petalcorin — to enter halftime with a commanding 59-21 lead.
UST maintained firm control in the second half, opening the third quarter with a 17-2 run and relying on five consecutive layups from Perez to extend their lead to 93-27.
The Junior Growling Tigresses continued their dominance in the fourth quarter, scoring 43 points while holding Ateneo to just five, sealing their second victory in as many games this season.
Nadine Labay led six UST players in double figures with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting and one steal. Janice Oczon contributed 20 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and two assists.
Talla finished with 18 points, six rebounds, six steals, four blocks, and three assists, while Petalcorin and Arciaga each added 14 points in the wire-to-wire win.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Matia Molina paced Ateneo in the losing effort with 11 points, followed by Tyler Templo, who posted nine points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
The Blue Eagles will look to end their two-game skid in a clash against the Junior Lady Archers on Sunday, January 25, at the same venue.
The Scores:
UST (136) – Labay 21, Oczon 20, Talla 18, Perez 16, Petalcorin 14, Arciaga 14, Pinuela 8, Capinpin 6, Townes 5, Anacan 4, Mateo 4, Hew 4, Kallos 2.
Ateneo (32) – Molina 11, Templo 9, Ebao 4, Gozum 3, Palmiery 2, Doque 2, Ablang 1, Dalanon 0, Madamba 0, Mariano 0, Vejerano 0, Trillo 0.
Quarterscores: 18-14, 59-21, 93-27, 136-32.
