Kent Pastrana woke up just in time for University of Santo Tomas to defend their home court against Ateneo de Manila University, securing a 77-73 victory in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Quadricentennial Pavilion on Saturday.
With this win, the Growling Tigresses bolstered their Final Four bid, improving to eight wins in nine games, while the Blue Eagles fell to five defeats in nine games.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Pastrana, the UAAP Season 86 Athlete of the Year, struggled through the first three quarters but found her rhythm in the fourth, going on a personal 7-2 run that extended the Growling Tigresses’ lead to 10 points with 4:09 left in the game, 69-59.
The Blue Eagles mounted a late comeback, led by Junize Calago, Kacey Dela Rosa, and Sarah Makanjuola, cutting their 64-74 deficit to just three points with 11.6 seconds remaining, making it 73-76.
However, Season 85 MVP Eka Soriano split his free throws on the other end, creating a two-possession game with only 7.4 seconds to go before Dela Rosa missed her final deep attempt.
“It’s a total team effort of course. Lahat nagtrabaho, alam niyo naman ‘yung waterloo namin is si Kacey and sa FSA nila so the girls really worked hard talaga para manalo today,” said UST head coach Haydee Ong.
Pastrana scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth period but had an overall challenging game, shooting 5-of-18 from the field and 6-of-13 from the free throw line. She also contributed eight rebounds and four steals.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Brigette Santos shone alongside Pastrana, finishing with 15 points and five assists, while Tacky Tacatac hit 4-of-8 from beyond the arc to add 12 points. Karylle Sierba and Agatha Bron also chipped in with 11 points each, helping the Growling Tigresses extend their winning streak to five games.
UST’s next challenge will come against Far Eastern University on October 27 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
On the other hand, Ateneo continued to slide, losing its third straight game. They remain in fourth place, just half a game ahead of the idle University of the Philippines at 3-5.
Dela Rosa notched her ninth consecutive double-double, recording 23 points and 18 rebounds for the Blue Eagles, but also committed seven turnovers. Calago matched her scoring output with 23 points, along with six rebounds and five assists, though she struggled with 10 turnovers. Makanjuola added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Ateneo will aim to end its slump next Saturday against De La Salle University, also at the MOA Arena.
The Scores:
UST 77 – Pastrana 16, Santos 15, Tacatac 12, Sierba 11, Bron 11, Maglupay 5, Soriano 3, Serrano 2, Ambos 2, Danganan 0, Amatong 0, Relliquette 0.
Ateneo 73 – Calago 23, Dela Rosa 23, Makanjuola 14, Batongbakal 6, Oani 5, Villacruz 2, Angala 0, Eufemanio 0, Cruza 0, Cancio 0.
Quarterscores: 21-26, 43-37, 62-57, 77-73
