The UST Growling Tigresses walloped the Josee Kaputu-led Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, 106-85, to boost their chances of securing a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 86 women’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
Kaputu erupted for a season-high 37 points and 15 rebounds, but UST’s collective effort, with six Tigresses reaching double digits in scoring, outshone her individual performance.
With FEU trailing, 78-66, Kaputu tried to rally the Lady Tamaraws back into the game with five quick points in a 7-4 run that cut UST’s lead to nine, 82-73.
However, the Tigresses responded with a 14-3 blast midway through the fourth quarter to establish an insurmountable 20-point lead, 96-76.
After the game, UST head coach said the Tigresses’ defensive schemes focused on Kaputu.
“Kaputu is one of the best foreign student athletes talaga ngayon in the league,” Ong said. “We cannot let Kaputu shoot from the inside and other players shoot from the three points, so kailangan mamili kami whether inside or outside yung dedepensahan namin.”
The Tigresses blasted the Lady Tamaraws with a 12-4 blitz capped by a Nikki Villasin reverse layup to pull away with a 19-point cushion heading into the second half, 58-39.
FEU outscored the Tigresses in the third quarter 27-20 to cut their lead to 12, 78-66.
UST tallied 27 assists and 15 steals as a team. The Tigresses’ bench outscored FEU’s, 57-22.
Brigette Santos paced UST with 20 points, seven assists and six steals, while Tantoy Ferrer and Villasin scored 15 markers apiece.
Behind Kaputu, Lady Tamaraws Julie Manguiat and Del Prado scored 16 and 15 points. respectively.
The Tigresses rose to solo second with a 10-3 win-loss record behind National University (11-1), while FEU remained in seventh place with a 3-10 record.
The UP Lady Maroons, boasting a 9-3 record, have the opportunity to equal UST’s standing for second place in their upcoming match at 1 p.m. against the winless UE Lady Warriors (0-12). This keeps the possibility of securing a twice-to-beat advantage open for both UP and Ateneo (8-4), with Ateneo set to play later against DLSU.
The Tigresses will conclude the elimination round against the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Nov. 18, Saturday, 9 a.m., at the same venue.
