THE UST Growling Tigresses overpowered the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) All-Stars, 72-63, to book their finals spot in the Pinoyliga Global Invitationals Cup on Friday, March 28, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavillion.
With the wire-to-wire victory, the Tigresses remained on top of the standings with a flawless 4-0 record.
Foreign student-athlete Isioma Onianwa powered UST with an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double performance.
“It’s the effort, energy, and teamwork… I didn’t do it alone, I did it with my teammates,” Onianwa told The Flame.
“When we have effort, we can do everything. We just come out here and put our best,” the Nigerian center added.
Both teams went back and forth until the Tigresses had a 5-0 blitz to close the first quarter with a 19-14 advantage.
UST began to turn it up behind Karylle Sierba’s hot-shooting in the second salvo, outscoring WMPBL by 14 points before halftime, 41-27.
WMPBL’s Raiza Palmera Dy made her presence felt in the third frame, connecting three consecutive baseline jumpers to cut the deficit, 53-39. But UST stayed in rhythm with a 13-2 run to close the quarter with a 66-41 cushion.
In the final frame, WMPBL attempted to rally back as Allana Lim scored three straight buckets to trim the deficit to 69-49.
The All-Stars launched a 14-3 run in the closing minutes, but it was not enough to hold off the Tigresses.
Former Tigresses team captain Tacky Tacatac, who now plays in the WMPBL, expressed pride in her alma mater’s noticeable growth in the team’s chemistry and performance.
“I can see their improvement. Each one of them contributes offensively and defensively,” Tacatac said.
The Tigresses are still awaiting their opponents in the championship round scheduled on March 30 at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gymnasium. F – with reports from Mc Neil Zyh Serrano
