Tantoy Ferrer came through in the clutch as playoff-bound Discovery Perlas fended off New Zealand-Bluefire, 59-56, to close the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament elimination round on a five-game winning streak on Sunday at the New Era University Gym.

Holding a slim 54-53 lead with under three minutes remaining, Ferrer stepped up with a floater to extend the advantage to three before sinking another short stab, giving Perlas a 58-53 cushion with 2:43 left on the clock.

Altita Quingco responded with a jumper to cut the lead back to three followed by an Anna Castillo split from the free-throw line, trimming the gap to just two, 58-56, with 20 seconds remaining.

Discovery managed to run down the clock before Socorro Borja sealed the win with a free throw in the final two seconds.

“It looks like the players were half-hearted to play when they came here. We had a hard time pushing their performance to the max because they thought that they can easily beat their opponents,” Perlas head coach Helen Fedillaga said.

“But I think we were given a lesson that we’re not a pushover here. I think we learned a lot from this game, especially since it’s already playoffs. We learned a lot from the kids.”

Ferrer led the charge for Perlas with 14 points and seven rebounds while veteran Allana Lim contributed 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists for Discovery, which finished with a 5-1 record in Pool A of this tournament backed by Manny Pacquiao, Senator Francis Tolentino and the MPBL Partylist.

Meanwhile, New Zealand-Bluefire suffered a tough setback, falling to 4-2 in the tightly contested Pool B playoff race.

Snow Peñaranda paced the Valkyries with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Torres, Castillo and Lee Sario added nine points each.