COMING soon: National University vs. University of Santo Tomas, part deux.
The defending champions get a chance to prove that last year’s title was no fluke, protecting their throne against a dynastic squad eager for redemption in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball finals.
The Growling Tigresses arranged the rematch after getting their act together in the second half to deny upset-conscious Adamson, 71-59, Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Kent Pastrana secured the victory for the black-and-gold with a near triple-double performance of 23 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block, with her all-around brillaince shining the light on UST towards back-to-back Finals appearances.
CJ Maglupay also churned out a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards off the bench, Brigette Santos scored 10, and Tacky Tacatac drained the dagger three with 3:44 left to make it a 67-55 affair to finish with 10 points and four rebounds.
“It’s all total team effort and at the end of the day, our defense dictated the game in the second half,” said coach Haydee Ong, with her girls holding the Lady Falcons to just 6-of-25 field goal shooting in the last two frames.
UST looked well on its way to an easy win with the two-seed jumping to a 21-4 opener, but Adamson responded with a big second quarter, closing out the first half on a 14-2 tear to take the 37-35 halftime lead.
Pastrana, however, took charge for the Tigresses, kickstarting a 17-5 assault to finish the third frame, 56-48, and create the separation they needed to set up the Finals rematch, with Game One of the best-of-three finals set on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Elaine Etang led the way with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals, as Victoria Adeshina got 12 points and eight boards for the Lady Falcons which finished at third place.
The Scores:
UST 71 – Pastrana 23, Maglupay 13, Tacatac 10, Santos 10, Ambos 7, Danganan 4, Sierba 4, Soriano 0, Bron 0, Relliquette 0, Amatong 0, Pescador 0.
ADAMSON 59 – Etang 12, Adeshina 12, A. Alaba 9, Apag 7, Agojo 6, Limbago 4, Bajo 4, Padilla 3, Manlimos 2, Meniano 0, Mazo 0, E. Alaba 0, Ornopia 0.
Quarters: 21-12, 35-37, 56-48, 71-59.
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