Defending champion University of Santo Tomas (UST) avoided a meltdown and showcased its championship poise to eliminate third-ranked Adamson University, 71-59, to advance to the finals of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 women’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Growling Tigresses, the second seed with a 12-2 record, will once again face National University (NU), which earned an automatic finals berth after sweeping the 14-game elimination round.

UST ended NU’s seven-season dynasty in last year’s finals, prevailing in three games.

The Lady Bulldogs, however, have yet to lose since then, defeating the Tigresses in both elimination-round meetings this season, 75-69 and 76-70.

The upcoming finals echo last season’s storyline, where NU dominated the eliminations before UST exacted revenge in the championship series.

Game 1 of the best-of-three finals is scheduled for Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We have to work harder together. We have to concentrate on the things we need to improve,” UST coach Haydee Ong said.

“For us, we are the underdogs. NU is always the favored team.”

UST came out firing, racing to a commanding 21-4 lead in the first quarter.

However, Adamson, fueled by its mantra “Big E” for effort, stormed back and took a 37-35 lead at halftime.

Kent Pastrana, Tacky Tacatac and Brigette Santos anchored a third-quarter resurgence for the Tigresses.

Down 39-43, they unleashed a 15-2 run to regain control, 54-45.

Adamson closed the gap to six points, 54-60, but CJ Maglupay, Santos and Tacatac sealed the game with timely plays, extending UST’s lead to 67-55 with 3:45 remaining.

Pastrana, the UAAP Season 86 Athlete of the Year, delivered an all-around performance, tallying 23 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and a block, though she committed seven turnovers.

Maglupay added 13 points, 11 rebounds, and six steals, while Tacatac contributed 10 points despite a poor shooting night with 3-of-16 from the field.

Santos also stepped up with 10 points and seven steals as UST dominated playmaking, dishing out 24 assists on 30 field goals compared to Adamson’s six assists on 21 makes.