THE NU Lady Bulldogs remained spotless after dealing the UST Growling Tigresses another defeat, 76-70, in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball eliminations on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
NU remained at the top of the standings with an 11-0 record. UST followed suit as the second seed with a 9-2 win-loss slate.
The Tigresses started the match aggressively as veteran shooter Tacky Tacatac hit back-to-back triples to give her team a slight edge, 14-12.
However, the Lady Bulldogs launched an 11-5 run capped by an and-1 play from Cielo Pagdulagan to close out the first frame, 23-19.
NU star Camille Clarin started to heat up in the second salvo, nailing a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 39-31.
UST eventually caught up to trim the lead by four points at the end of the first half, 44-40.
In the third quarter, the España squad found its rhythm to surge a 10-4 run to take a slim 53-51 advantage.
After a timeout, however, the Jhocson-based squad regained control to close the third with the lead, 61-59.
The last 10 minutes saw NU igniting a crucial 9-0 blitz, highlighted by a triple from Pagdulagan to build an 11-point cushion, 70-59.
Tacatac kept the Tigresses at bay with a three-pointer to trim the lead to 72-65. But NU’s Angelica Surada scored back-to-back baskets inside the paint to pull away, 76-67.
UST rookie Karylle Sierba hit a late corner three-pointer, but it was too late to overcome NU’s lead.
Clarin led the Lady Bulldogs to victory with 21 points, five triples, seven rebounds and four assists. Pagdulagan chalked up 17 ppoints.
For the Tigresses, Tacatac matched the scoring output with 21 points, also hitting five triples. Kent Pastrana had 14 points and five assists, while Maglupay added 10 markers.
UST will look to bounce back as they face the UE Lady Red Warriors on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. F – Nicole Atuan
