With contrasting missions driving their campaigns, University of Santo Tomas and Pilipinas Aguilas are set to clash in what promises to be a thrilling finale to the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitational Tournament.
For UST, the tournament, supported by Manny Pacquiao, Senator Francis Tolentino, and the MPBL Partylist, has provided a valuable opportunity to gain experience against older, more seasoned opponents — a chance to sharpen their skills ahead of the UAAP season.
“When the tournament was starting, the goal was for the kids to learn and gain experience. We’ve always reminded them to not take this opportunity for granted because not all collegiate teams get a chance to play against semi-pro clubs or players who have a lot of experience, lalo na sa mga nagre-present na sa Philippines in international tournaments,” said Growling Tigresses head coach Ged Austria.
(C) WMPBL
On the other hand, the Aguilas are using the league as a platform to help Filipina players continue their development beyond college and prove they belong on the professional stage.
“For Aguilas, we’d like to use our program to help the players improve and expand their games even after their college careers are done. We want them to get more exposure and opportunites whenever they don the Aguilas jersey. At the end of the day, we want to do our part in the growth of women’s basketball,” said Aguilas interim coach Paolo Layug.
As both teams vie for the inaugural WMPBL championship, their respective goals will be put in the spotlight during the much-anticipated Game 1 today, at 5:00 PM at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.
Entrance is free to the public.
Austria expects nothing less than a dogfight against a stacked Pilipinas Aguilas squad, which is why she believes that keeping her players’ emotions in check — especially given that they are much younger than their opponents — will be crucial.
“I expect this game to be a ‘dogfight’ and also highly emotional. Aguilas is a great squad with a mix of youth and experience. Going up against a core team of Adamson that we are used to playing against, but also a team with reinforcements from veterans who have represented the Philippine flag, is surely a tough but interesting matchup,” said Austria.
“Emotions must be under control para mas masunod ang effort and discipline ng mga bata when playing and sticking to the system. Looking forward to battling with Aguilas,” he added.
(C) WMPBL Images
Layug, meanwhile, holds the Growling Tigresses in high regard, calling them one of the best women’s teams in the country today. He emphasized that containing Kent Pastrana and Oma Onianwa will be crucial if the Aguilas hope to take Game 1.
“I think it’s going to be a great challenge. They’re one of the best women’s teams in the country right now, and they’ve proven it. UST had a very convincing win against Galeries in the semis,” said Layug.
“Pastrana is one of the best players in the country, does everything for them. Very impressive player. Can and does play every role for them. Their import [Oma] Onianwa has improved throughout the tournament. They’re very well coached by coach Ged [Austria] and the rest of the UST staff. It’s going to be a good series,” he added.
Pastrana, Onianwa, and Eka Soriano are expected to lead the way for UST, while Mar Prado, Alexis Pana, and Chack Cabinbin will banner the charge for Pilipinas Aguilas in the finals opener of the league supported by sponsors Uratex, Discovery Suites, Red Dynasty, Gotobox, Gerry’s Grill, Prettiest, Team Graphitee, Evo Performance Helmets, Ryzen Helmets, Katinko, Dorayd, Sogo Hotel, Global Bosny Manufacturing, and Bavin.
The Aguilas hold a slight mental edge, having handed the Growling Tigresses their only loss of the tournament. But with the title on the line and both squads chasing something bigger than themselves, all bets are off once the ball is tipped.
