By ADRIAN STEWART CO

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigresses failed to overcome the Pilipinas Aguilas for a 54-45 defeat in the do-or-die Game 3 of the WMPBL finals at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila on Wednesday night, April 23.

Negrense Kent Jane Pastrana continued to struggle as she managed just eight points, along with five rebounds and three assists, as the Growling Tigresses settled for a runner-up finish.

Mar Prado stepped up in the winner-take-all match with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, to go with three steals and three blocks, as the Aguilas clinched the best-of-three series at 2-1.

Finals MVP Alexis Pana delivered 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and five steals.

Cheska Apag tallied 13 points on three triples, with four rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Aguilas.

With the score knotted at 41-all entering the fourth quarter, the Aguilas uncorked a pivotal 10-2 scoring run, capped by an inside conversion from Prado, for a 51-43 lead with more than four minutes left.

The Growling Tigresses still attempted to come close at 45-51 with more than a minute remaining in the game, but the Aguilas responded with timely free throws to seal the championship.

“It’s really about the players. I was telling the players before the game, ‘What is the story of the Aguilas?’ And you have players from all sorts of backgrounds. Some were students, some were in the army, some are coming back from bad injuries. One player, Lexi [Pana], is reconnecting with her roots, so the story behind each and every player is something very special,” Pilipinas Aguilas head coach Paulo Layug said after the game.

“The makeup [and] character of the team, you rarely get to coach a team like this. That’s why I’m very grateful. It was really an honor to be their coach this season,” he added.

Negrense Rachelle Ambos, Agatha Bron and Karylle Sierba each added eight points for the Growling Tigresses./ASC, WDJ