University of Santo Tomas’s girls team achieved the same feat as their seniors in the women’s team last year.
The Junior Tigresses ended the six-game winning streak of defending champion National University Nazareth School in the UAAP Girls’ 3×3 Basketball Tournament with a 19-16 stunner on Friday at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay’s Activity Center.
UST sits atop the standings with a pristine 2-0 slate, also beating Adamson on Friday, 21-14.
Negrense stalwart Barby Dajao provided the clutch buckets for UST, scoring back-to-back baskets to give her side an 18-16 cushion.
A miss by Alicia Villanueva from deep led to a split on the stripe for Dajao to seal the win.
“Nung una, kinakabahan po ako kasi magagaling po talaga sila pero ginawa namin yung best namin,” said the 18-year-old Dajao, who finished the game with six points and six rebounds.
“Isa sila sa inspiration namin. Sila yung mga nagchee-cheer sa amin at nagpapaniwala sa amin na kakayanin namin kahit sino ang kalaban namin,” she added, about the pep talks given to them by their ‘ates’ Tantoy Ferrer, Tacky Tacatac, Kent Pastrana, and Rocel Dionisio – the core that dethroned the NU Lady Bulldogs a season ago.
Karylle Sierba led the way for UST with 11 points while Jannah Wenceslao got two points and 12 rebounds.
The NUNS quartet of Villanueva, Cielo Pagdulagan, BJ Villarin, and Nicole Pring would bounce back later in the day, venting their ire on Adamson, 18-6.
The Baby Falcons’ girls team started the day with a 22-10 whipping of 0-2 Ateneo.
The Lady Bullpups sit at second with a 2-1 record while idle DLSZ Junior Lady Archers are at third with an even 1-1 slate in this division.
The top two finishers advance to the winner-take-all final on Sunday.
(C) Janette Calub/UAAP Season 86 Media Team
Meanwhile, reigning champion Far Eastern University-Diliman leaned on main man Veejay Pre to escape UST, 21-19, to remain the sole unbeaten team in the boys’ division.
Tied at 19-all, Pre, who is already committed to the Tamaraws program for next season, knocked down a long deuce with 19 seconds left to give his side their fourth win in as many games.
“Siyempre masaya pero hindi kami magkokompyansa dahil lang sa panalo na ‘to. Matuto kami sa mga mistakes namin,” said Pre, a 6-foot-5 big man from Pampanga.
“Hindi talaga kaming puwede mangumpyansa. Kahit ako, nawala ako sa laro ko nung na-technical kami. Pero bumawi kami kasi para talaga ito sa FEU. Gusto ko ng magandang exit,” added Pre, who tallied 11 points and eight rebounds in the game versus UST.
The Baby Tamaraws, who also have Jedric Daa, Dwyne Miranda, and Jiro Mecha as their four, romped past Ateneo earlier in the day, 21-11.
UST’s JB Lim, Koji Buenaflor, Charles Bucsit, and Carl Manding, who defeated UE, 12-19, in the earlier games, sit second with a 3-1 record and 78 points — 19 points higher than third-placed Adamson.
Adamson’s Mark Esperanza, Zahir Sajili, Earl Medina, and JR Abayon also had a perfect Day 2, eking out an 11-7 victory over NUNS and a 21-12 rout of UPIS.
DLSZ, which defeated UPIS (21-19) and Ateneo (12-11), sits fourth with a 2-2 record (68 points) while NUNS is fifth with an identical record but with just 59 points.
