UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas picked up right where it left off, dismantling Centro Escolar University with a commanding 72-point rout, 105-33, in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament on Wednesday at the Enderun Gym.
After a three-week break in their schedule, the Growling Tigresses showed no signs of rust, with six players scoring in double-figures. The dominant win propelled them to a 3-0 start in the tournament, which is backed by Manny Pacquiao, Senator Francis Tolentino, and the MPBL Partylist.
Kent Pastrana led the charge for the black-and-gold, pouring in 22 points on efficient 63-percent shooting from the field, while also contributing seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals. Oma Onianwa recorded a monster double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds, also adding four steals and four blocks.
Rookie Gin Relliquette chipped in 14 points and five assists, while Ayesha Pescador delivered 12 points in just seven minutes of play.
Former UAAP MVP Eka Soriano and Karylle Sierba also made their presence felt, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The 72-point blowout set the record for the largest winning margin in the tournament’s inaugural season.
UST actually led by as many as 73 points with 1:12 left in the game, following a Pescador three-pointer that pushed the score to 105-32.
“Good, but not perfect - not excellent,” said UST head coach Ged Austria. “Despite the score, there are still a lot of things we need to improve on. We set a goal because, as you know, the elimination format requires us to have high winning margins while keeping our opponents’ scores low."
Meanwhile, CEU suffered its second straight loss, dropping to 1-3. Diana Defeles led the Lady Scorpions with nine points and five rebounds.
New Zealand-Bluefire, San Juan come through
In other games, New Zealand-Bluefire and San Juan secured hard-fought victories in the tournament, which is also supported by Uratex, Discovery Suites, Red Dynasty, Gotobox, Gerry’s Grill, Prettiest, Team Graphitee, Evo Performance Helmets, Ryzen Helmets, Katinko, Dorayd, Sogo Hotel, Global Bosny Manufacturing, and Bavin.
Snow Peñaranda came through in the clutch, sinking the game-winning basket to lift the Valkyries to a thrilling 70-68 win over Far Eastern University in the opening game.
With the score tied at 68-all, Camille Claro delivered a perfect pocket pass to Peñaranda, who drove into the lane and finished a tough layup over Vic Pasilang’s outstretched arms, putting the Valkyries ahead with 8.8 seconds left.
The Lady Tams had a chance to respond, but Erica Lopez’s contested three-pointer fell short, sealing New Zealand-Bluefire’s third straight win and improving its record to 4-1.
Peñaranda finished with 22 points, six rebounds, and three steals to lead the Valkyries, while Altita Quingco provided solid support with 12 points and eight rebounds. Bettina Binaohan nearly secured a double-double, tallying nine points and 10 boards.
On the other side, Amyah Espanol paced 1-3 FEU with 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. MJ Manguiat added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Lopez contributed 12 points.
In the nightcap, the San Juan Lady Knights eked out a 62-58 victory over Cavite-TOL to bounce back from their previous loss.
Karen Salapong led San Juan, now 3-1, with 14 points. Annick Edimo Tiky added 13 points and eight rebounds, while captain LJ Miranda posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.
Meanwhile, Luisa San Juan was the lone Lady Patriot to reach double figures, scoring 15 points. However, she struggled with efficiency, shooting just 5-of-18 from the field, as Cavite-TOL fell to 1-3 in the standings.
The Scores:
First Game
NEW ZEALAND-BLUEFIRE 70 – Peñaranda 22, Quingco 12, Castillo 9, Binaohan 9, Villamor 5, Claro 5, Sario 4, Torres 2, Ahmed 2, Camba 0, Calang 0, Mendoza 0
FEU 68 – Espanol 17, Manguiat 16, Lopez 12, Salvani 7, Patio 6, Nagma 4, Villanueva 2, Dela Torre 2, Pasilang 2, Ong 0, Gavaran 0
Quarters: 14-11, 34-29, 55-45, 70-68
Second Game
UST 105 – Pastrana 22, Onianwa 16, Relliquette 14, Pescador 12, Sierba 11, Soriano 10, Maglupay 7, Ambos 6, Danganan 5, Bron 2, Tacatac 0, Santos 0, Amatong 0, Serrano 0
CEU 33 – Defeles 9, Banih 4, Altamirano 4, Bautista 4, Gumapo 4, Tapinit 2, Ferolino 2, Autida 2, Cadano 1, Mahusay 1
Quarters: 22-8, 45-19, 75-24, 105-33
Third Game
SAN JUAN 62 – Salapong 14, Edimo Tiky 13, Miranda 12, Panti 7, Abaca 4, Sanchez 3, Adlawan 3, Junsay 2, Angeles 2, Marcos 2, Gonzales 0, Mejasco 0
CAVITE-TOL 58 – San Juan 15, Pacia 8, Natural 7, Gonato 6, Jimenez 6, Paraiso 6, Flores 4, Reyes 3, Hawkins 3, Caringal 0, Casinillo 0, Del Prado 0, Zshornack 0
Quarters: 13-15, 26-31, 44-41, 62-58
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