UST DOMINATES NU, ONE AWAY FROM FINALS

By: Miguel Marco

University of Santo Tomas, backed by Strong Group Athletics, moved within one win of completing an elimination round sweep in the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament after a commanding 105-85 victory over defending champions National University on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Growling Tigresses improved to a perfect 13-0, keeping their hopes alive for an outright Finals berth, which would also trigger the stepladder format for the Final Four. UST will aim to finish the sweep on Wednesday against Far Eastern University at the Smart Araneta Coliseum—a game that will also determine the final semifinal slot, leaving Adamson University to claim the last ticket.

“Alam naman natin na NU is the defending champion. This is a big win for us, 13-0, pero hindi pa tapos ‘yung trabaho. We still have one more game against FEU and we will stay on our track, focus on the goal at hand to have a sweep next week,” said UST head coach Haydee Ong.

Kent Pastrana came off the bench and immediately set the tone, scoring 21 points in the first half alone to help UST take a 56-46 lead at the break. The Growling Tigresses extended their advantage in a dominant third quarter, outscoring NU 27-17. Coi Danganan, Eka Soriano, and Brigette Santos complemented Pastrana, pushing the lead to 83-63.

“‘Yung mindset ko lang today is I will do my best lang. Hindi naman sa gigil pero ginawa lang namin ‘yung best namin today,” said Pastrana, who finished with 26 points, six triples, seven rebounds, two assists, and one block.

Santos chipped in 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals, while Soriano added 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Danganan scored 12 points, and Oma Onianwa recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.