THE UST Growling Tigresses unleashed a merciless 57-point rout of the UE Lady Warriors, 99-42, to stay unbeaten in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
UST improved to a 3-0 slate, while UE dropped to a 0-3 record.
The Tigresses hounded the Lady Warriors on the defensive end, converting 30 points off turnovers, while also dominating the paint with a 64-14 inside scoring advantage.
Sophomore guard Karylle Sierba lauded the impact of foreign student-athlete (FSA) Oma Onianwa, who anchored the Tigresses’ interior dominance.
“Oma has been a huge help because both our offense and defense are already running well,” Sierba told The Flame.
The Tigresses set the tone early, jumping to a 25-5 lead to close the opening quarter.
Breana Pineda then punctuated UST’s first half barrage with a rare four-point play to close the first half with her team still on top, 52-20.
The Tigresses showed no letup after halftime, with team captain Kent Pastrana igniting a personal 6-0 run to stretch the lead entering the final frame, 77-31.
Coi Danganan’s fastbreak layup then capped UST’s wire-to-wire dominance victory at home.
Onianwa powered the Tigresses with 17 points, while Pineda and Pastana chipped in 13 points apiece.
Ivy Yanez was the lone bright spot for the Lady Warriors, scoring 12 markers in the loss.
The Tigresses will look to keep their spotless slate when they battle the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym. F – Joshua Louis Sumanghid
