ATENEO's Kacey dela Rosa is still the top dog in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament, as she is set to claim back-to-back MVP honors.
The Gilas Pilipinas center was the runaway winner of the award after collecting 96.286 statistical points (SPs).
Dela Rosa was the best scorer in the division with 22.07 points, the best rebounder with 16.0 boards, and the best shot blocker with 2.29 rejections in towing the Lady Eagles back to the Final Four as the No. 4-seed.
She will be the second Atenean to claim MVP honors in consecutive years after Cassy Tioseco first did it in 2006 and 2007.
It also enables her to join the exclusive back-to-back MVP club which includes University of Santo Tomas' Grace Irebu (2018 and 2019), National University’s Afril Bernardino (2014, 2015, and 2016), Adamson’s Analyn Almazan (2009 and 2010), and Tioseco.
Dela Rosa will also be part of the Mythical Five for the third straight season after being hailed as Rookie of the Year in 2022.
UST point guard Kent Pastrana was a distant second with 79.857 SPs in steering the defending champion Tigresses to the second-seed after tallying 15.21 points (third-best), 8.36 rebounds (eighth-best), 3.29 assists (10th-best), and 2.21 steals (seventh-best).
This will be the third Mythical Team selection for the Season 82 Rookie of the Year after being cited in 2019 when she was still in La Salle and last year during her first season in Espana.
The University of the Philippines sophomore Louna Ozar is also part of the list with 67.571 SPs after racking up 12.0 points, 8.29 rebounds (eighth-best), 4.14 assists (sixth-best), and 2.43 steals (fourth-best) for her first Mythical Team citation.
Ateneo center Sarah Makanjuola is in as well with 65.786 SPs, with the Nigerian collecting 12.21 points (10th-best), 12.07 rebounds (third-best), and 1.29 blocks (third-best).
Completing the Mythical Team is National U banger Angel Surada with 62.0 SPs after guiding the Lady Bulldogs to another perfect 14-0 elimination run. She posted 8.38 points, 7.69 rebounds (10th-best), 2.0 steals (ninth-best), and 1.77 assists.
She was just slightly ahead of her fellow Gilas and Lady Bulldogs teammate Camille Clarin, who amassed 61.571 SPs.
Also part of the top 10 in the MVP race are Adamson slasher Elaine Etang with 60.0 SPs, NU rookie Cielo Pagdulagan with 56.571 SPs, University of the East scorer Jearzy Ganade (56.214 SPs), and Lady Falcons enforcer Victoria Adeshina (56.0 SPs).
Ateneo's Junize Calago, who placed third with 68.154 SPs, and Far Eastern University's Shane Salvani, who's at seventh at 61.692 SPs, were disqualified from the MVP race for being meted one-game suspensions.
NU Rookie of the Year
Pagdulagan, meanwhile, also earned the Rookie of the Year honors after nabbing 9.86 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.36 steals.
She will be the fourth Lady Bulldog to be hailed as the top neophyte after Jack Animam (2015), Ria Nabalan (2014), and Gemma Miranda (2011).
Pagdulagan beat out UST playmaker Karylle Sierba, who got 52.714 SPs, for the award.
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