The UST Growling Tigresses are just one win away from an outright UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball finals berth after whipping the NU Lady Bulldogs, 105-85, on Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
UST improved its perfect slate to 13-0, while NU concluded its elimination round with a 12-2 card.
Hot-handed Kent Pastrana led the charge with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Bridgette Santos and Eka Soriano combined for 29 markers.
“Today we gave our best as a team. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches because we fought until the very end,” Pastrana said postgame.
The Tigresses will aim to complete an elimination sweep against the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“This is a big win, but the job isn’t finished. Our focus now is on sweeping FEU,” head coach Haydee Ong said.
UST opened strong, with Pastrana scoring 10 points to give the Tigresses a slim 26-20 first-quarter lead.
She then sank three consecutive triples early in the second quarter to push the lead to 39-26.
The España-based squad kept control at halftime, with the bench contributing 40 points to maintain a 56-46 advantage. Pastrana ended the half with 21 points.
Eka Soriano and Coi Danganan each scored eight points in the third salvo, helping UST extend the lead to 20 points 83-63.
The Tigresses never looked back in the final frame and dominated the inside, outscoring NU 56-46 in the paint and controlling the boards, 46-36.
NU’s Aloha Betanio and Karl Pingol each scored 19 points, while Kristine Cayabyab added 16. F
