THE UST Junior Growling Tigresses are one win away from defending their crown after surviving the NUNS Lady Bullpups during overtime, 96-87, in Game 1 of the UAAP Season 88 girls’ basketball finals on Sunday, March 15, at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
Girls’ Most Valuable Player Riri Perez delivered a dominant performance with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Lea Piñuela added 23 points and six steals.
Janice Oczon also posted a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds to power the Tigresses in the thrilling finals opener.
With the win, the defending champions will look to close out the series on Sunday, March 22, at the same venue.
Similar to their elimination round meetings, both squads went toe-to-toe as they traded baskets throughout regulation.
NUNS had a chance to seal the game in the final possession, but Inday Sales could not convert, forcing an 82-all deadlock and sending the contest to the first overtime in the girls’ division.
The Tigresses quickly seized control in the extra period as Sabrina Abrantes knocked down a triple and Pia Petalcorin added another bucket to open an 88-82 advantage.
The Lady Bullpups tried to stay within striking distance by capitalizing on the charity stripe, trimming the deficit to 88-86 with less than two minutes left.
But Petalcorin delivered a clutch baseline three-pointer with 1:05 minutes remaining to extend the lead to 92-87.
Perez then iced the game from the free-throw line, sinking two foul shots to push the margin to 94-87, before adding another pair to secure the victory.
NUNS leaned on Aubrey Lapasaran, who tallied 28 points and six rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter, while Adin Rosano chipped in 19 points and 14 rebounds. F
