University of Santo Tomas (UST) successfully punched the second quarterfinals ticket in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament.
This, after they dominated Far Eastern University (FEU), 96-74, at the Divine Light Academy Gym.
The Growling Tigresses set the tone as early as the opener, eventually preventing the Lady Tamaraws from mounting any significant run en route to a crucial wire-to-wire victory that secured their playoff berth in the tournament.
Kent Pastrana, Oma Onianwa and Brigette Santos spearheaded UST’s scorching 22-11 start in the first quarter to put the Lady Tamaraws on the back foot early.
The Growling Tigresses led by as much as 32 points by the start of the fourth quarter, with Gin Relliquette converting both of her freebies during the 8:46-mark, which gave her side an 81-49 advantage.
“Okay naman. I won’t say happy, maybe pleased about it kasi syempre since after losing to Aguilas, nung time na ‘yun apat pa nga kami, isang loss lang eh. So sabi ko kailangan talagang ma-sweep na namin the rest of the eliminations, which is nangyari naman. Okay naman,” said UST head coach Ged Austria.
“I won’t say happy, but it’s nice. Nung natalo kami sa Aguilas, the goal is to not lose anymore,” he added.
Pastrana flirted with a triple-double to lead the Growling Tigresses, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, along with two steals as UST closed the eliminations on a three-game winning streak, finishing with a 6-1 record tied with Philippine Navy on top of Pool B.
Onianwa recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, along with two blocks, while Karylle Sierba and Santos contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively, in the win.
Meanwhile, FEU wrapped up the elimination round with a 2-5 record in Pool A and must await the results of the remaining matches to determine its playoff fate.
Erica Lopez led the Lady Tamaraws with 17 points, while Shane Salvani recorded 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Mary Manguiat and Maxene dela Torre added 10 points each, while Amyah Espanol was held scoreless in 14 minutes of action.
In other games, the Galeries Tower Skyrisers and the San Juan Lady Knights both picked up victories.
Galeries outlasted the Pilipinas Aguilas, 63-58, to boost its quarterfinals bid in a tight Pool B.
Cindy Resultay almost got a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, while May May Canuto delivered a standout performance with 15 markers as well for the Skyrisers, who have now won back-to-back games to improve their record to 5-1.
Meanwhile, the playoff-bound Aguilas absorbed their second loss of the tournament, slipping to second place in Pool A with a 5-2 card, ultimately giving Discovery Perlas the top seed with a 6-1 record.
Both teams are assured twice-to-beat incentives.
Mar Prado had 16 points and eight rebounds to pace the Pilipinas Aguilas, while Kem Adeshina added 12 points and seven boards in the loss.
In the second game, San Juan bounced back with an 86-81 victory over PSP, keeping its slim playoff hopes in Pool B alive to close out the eliminations.
The Lady Knights, who are in danger of missing the quarterfinals due to an inferior point differential compared to Galeries and New Zealand-Bluefire, were led by a pair of 20-point performances from Rejoice Adlawan and Jhenn Angeles.
Adlawan finished with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Angeles contributed 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals for San Juan.
Meanwhile, the also-ran Lady Gymers, who wrapped up their campaign with a 1-6 record in Pool A, were paced by Jeedel Bartolo’s 28-point performance. (ABS-CBN News)