The UST Junior Growling Tigresses trounced the DLSZ Junior Lady Archers 90-59 for a dominant start to their UAAP Season 88 girls’ basketball tournament campaign at the Playtime FilOil EcoOil Centre on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
Rhianne Perez led UST with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, while foreign student-athlete Mabekou Talla contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.
Despite the win, the Junior Tigresses shot just 11.5% from 3-point range on 26 attempts but posted 58% inside the arc (35-of-60 shooting).
“We were lacking in confidence and stability in the first few quarters. So we hope that when we get to the next game, slowly the girls can adjust,” UST head coach Aresenio Dysangco said after the game.
“They are being exposed to a lot of pressure. They need to perform their skills under the big lights. So we hope that in the next few games, their jitters will be gone, and hopefully we can play our brand of basketball. Medyo lumayo lang kami kanina,” he added.
Tied at 8-all, the Junior Lady Archers sparked a 7-2 run to extend their advantage to 15-10 before UST closed the gap to end the first quarter at 17-all.
In the second quarter, UST answered with a 19-6 run to build a 13-point lead, 36-23, and maintained the cushion at halftime, 45-32.
The Junior Tigresses went on a 22-6 spurt to pull away after Sam Anacan’s jump shot made it 67-38 in the third quarter. UST then pushed the lead to as many as 31 points in the final period en route to the lopsided 90-59 victory.
DLSZ’s Ima Navarro finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Ching Ching Gales added 13 points and four rebounds in the loss.
The Junior Tigresses will next face the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Jan. 18 at the Blue Eagle Gym.
