Dogfight looms as UST, Aguilas open title duel

With contrasting missions driving their campaigns, University of Santo Tomas (UST) and Pilipinas Aguilas are set to clash in what promises to be a thrilling finale to the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament.

As both teams vie for the inaugural WMPBL championship, their respective goals will be put in the spotlight during the much-anticipated Game 1 of their best-of-three finals duel today at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila.

Entrance to the 5 p.m. showdown is free to the public.

For the Tigresses, the tournament has provided a valuable opportunity to gain experience against older, more seasoned opponents as well as a chance to sharpen their skills ahead of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines season.

“When the tournament was starting, the goal was for the kids to learn and gain experience,” UST coach Ged Austria said.

“We’ve always reminded them to not take this opportunity for granted because not all collegiate teams get a chance to play against semi-pro clubs or players who have a lot of experience, especially in representing the country in major international tournaments.”

On the other hand, the Aguilas are using the league as a platform to help Filipina players continue their development beyond college and prove they belong on the professional stage.

“For Aguilas, we’d like to use our program to help the players improve and expand their games even after their college careers are done,” Aguilas interim coach Paolo Layug said.

“We want them to get more exposure and opportunities whenever they don the Aguilas jersey. At the end of the day, we want to do our part in the growth of women’s basketball.”