IT WAS a sweet revenge for the NU Lady Bulldogs as they snapped the winning streak of defending champions UST Growling Tigresses, 75-69, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Last season’s finalists denied UST a comeback surge during the last frame to give the Tigresses their first defeat in the season at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
NU veterans Camille Clarin and Kristine Cayabyab opened the first quarter with back-to-back triples and aggressive fastbreaks to lead the match by four points, 22-16.
The momentum stayed for the Bustillos-based squad as Karl Pingol drained two consecutive paint shots in the second frame to extend the gap to 35-19.
UST refused to back down in the second half after Tigress forward CJ Maglupay chipped in with a critical pull-up shot off a rebound to trim the lead to 11, 35-24.
Former MVP Eka Soriano tried to snatch the momentum but fell short after NU dropped a scoring barrage courtesy of Gambian and center Jainaba Konateh, 41-30.
Lady Bulldogs Pingol and Konateh dominated the last frame with aggressive drives and free throws, sparking a 10-2 blitz to bury the Tigresses, 62-42. Relliquerte breathed life for the Tigresses with three consecutive fastbreaks and a lay up to start a 6-2 run, 64-48.
UST sparked a mini-run after rookie Karylle Sierba, Soriano and forward Kent Pastrana fired a continuous barrage of triples to narrow the gap to seven points, 68-61.
However, the Tigresses’ late rally efforts in the last quarter were no match for the Bulldogs’ offense-defense prowess. NU’s Clarin and Konateh’s back-to-back free throws sealed a 75-69 victory for the Bulldogs
UST head coach Haydee Ong acknowledged UST’s defense lapses early in the game.
“We did not play defense in the first up to [the] third quarter. We only played good defense the UST way in the last quarter. We need to improve on that because we always start very slow,” Ong said postgame.
Only three Tigresses scored in double digits. Relliquette led UST with 12 points, while Santos and Rocel Dionisio chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Konateh carried the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points, racking up 11-of-12 free throws and nine boards. Clarin and Angelika Surada added 17 and 11 markers, respectively.
Now holding a 3-1 win-loss slate, the UST Growling Tigresses will look to return on the winning column when they face the DLSU Lady Archers on Sunday, Sept. 29, at the same venue. F
