Growling Tigresses roar, force sudden death

After a flawless 14-0 sweep of the elimination round, University of Santo Tomas (UST) made sure it would not be swept the other way around in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 women’s basketball tournament best-of-three finals series.

UST delivered a statement win in Game 2, dominating National University, 95-70, to force a winner-take-all showdown on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The thrilling trilogy between the league’s storied women’s programs will go to a Game 3 for the third time in recent seasons.

The Growling Tigresses will aim to reclaim the crown they lost last year, while the Lady Bulldogs will seek to defend it and capture a ninth title in 10 seasons in the decisive Game 3 on Sunday at the same bayside arena in Pasay. Tip-off for the title decider is at 1 p.m.

“We shied away from our identity in Game 1. We did not run, we did not play our defense. Now, it’s a total team effort. The first group set the tone, we have relentless defense from the start until the end of the game, I think that sets the tone for us,” said UST head coach Haydee Ong after the wire-to-wire triumph that saw them lead by as much as 31 points, 87-56.

Coming off a 79-84 loss in Game 1, the Growling Tigresses came out blazing, cruising to a 20-5 start on the back of Rachelle Ambos and Coi Danganan.

The Lady Bulldogs managed to catch up and trailed by just eight at halftime, 40-48.

But UST unleashed a decisive blow in the third period as Brigette Santos, Kent Pastrana, Danganan and Onianwa led a 27-13 quarter to extend their advantage to 75-53 heading into the final frame.

“We just enjoyed the game. In Game 1, we lost our enjoyment because we were so focused. But now, we had a very good system and we were able to follow our game plan. I hope we play like this in Game 3,” said Karyll Sierba, who scored 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field along with five rebounds.

Santos, who was UST’s Game 2 hero last season with 27 points, was spectacular again with 15 points, seven assists, and four steals, while Ambos finished with 13 points and four rebounds.

Danganan added 11 points and three steals, while CJ Maglupay stepped up with five points and 15 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end.

Graduating guard and Season 85 Most Valuable Player Eka Soriano, though contained at times, delivered eight assists and four rebounds while posting a plus-18 in her 22 minutes and 17 seconds on the floor.