THE FEU Lady Tamaraws led by as much as ten points in the first half, but the UST Growling Tigresses had other plans as they surged during the second half, taking a 77-65 win in their 14th game of UAAP Season 85 women’s basketball tournament.
After trailing 38-31 at the half, Rocel Dionisio finished strong for the Tigresses by dropping 15 points and 13 rebounds, after limping off the floor in the second quarter with a seemingly minor injury on Saturday, Nov. 26 at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
MVP candidate Eka Soriano fired up in the fourth quarter, scoring nine straight points, including a basket that gave UST a 14-point lead late in the game, 70-56. Soriano finished with 14 markers, seven boards, and four assists.
UST was able to lock in the third seed after it had four players who scored in double-digits, as Tacky Tacatac dropped ten points with seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. Also scoring ten points was Agatha Bron who grabbed three rebounds.
The Tigresses led by as much as 15 points off a Joylun Pangilinan three in the final minutes of the game.
But Lady Tamaraw Camille Taguiam did not want to go home without a fight as she hit an off-the-glass layup through contact. On the next play, she split her free-throws as they eclipsed the end of regulation.
Erica Lopez scored seven points with three rebounds for the Lady Tamaraws.
UST finished with an 11-3 record after back-to-back wins. FEU dropped its sixth game in a row, taking the second-worst record in the league, 3-11.
With the DLSU Lady Archers winning against the UE Lady Warriors, they secured the second seed with a twice-to-beat advantage against the Tigresses in the Final Four. F
