EVEN WITHOUT their head coach Haydee Ong, the UST Growling Tigresses secured a twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament after repulsing the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 92-79, on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Riding a clean 12-0 slate, the Tigresses managed to secure a Final Four bonus for the third straight year.
“In the first half, we were too intense because coach Haydee [Ong] was not there. But in the second half we were told we needed to prove ourselves even without her,” sophomore Karylle Sierba told The Flame.
“This game is really dedicated to her, so we adjusted because Ateneo were also keeping up,” she added.
Sierba matched her season-high with 21 points, shooting 4-of-6 from long range, while Agatha Bron and Bridgette Santos added 15 points apiece.
Both squads traded blows throughout the first half that featured 12 deadlocks as the Tigresses only managed to carve out a slim 42-39 cushion heading into the break.
UST came out of the locker room blazing as they uncorked a 14-2 surge with Bron, Sierba and Kent Pastrana drilling three-pointers to build a 58-45 advantage.
The Tigresses punctuated the quarter with a buzzer-beating three from Santos to preserve a 70-61 lead at the end of the final frame.
Sierba kept the Espana-based squad’s momentum rolling, knocking down five straight buckets to stretch their lead to 79-63, their biggest of the night.
The Tigresses maintained the double-digit cushion the rest of the way, with UST’s bench proving pivotal after combining for 64 points to finish the job.
Camille Malagar led the Katipunan-based squad with 18 points, while Kacey dela Rosa and Kailah Oani chipped in 14 points each.
UST improved to a perfect 12-0 record, while Ateneo slipped to a 7-4 standing for third place.
The Tigresses will look to stay flawless against the No. 2 NU Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Mall of Asia Arena. — with reports from Joshua Sumanghid
