THE UST Junior Growling Tigresses escaped the National University Nazareth School (NUNS) Lady Bullpups in overtime, 96-87, to take Game 1 of the UAAP Season 88 girls’ basketball finals at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym on Sunday, March 15.
After a tight regulation period, UST zoomed to a 6-0 start in overtime and never looked back as the Junior Tigresses hit timely free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
“We will still focus on the same thing, and that is to improve pa on our game today,” UST head coach Arsenio Dysangco said postgame. “We have to better our best pa to win the championship.”
Both squads traded leads to open the game, 20-all.
NUNS created a four-point separation early in the second quarter, 26-22, before UST completed an 8-2 spurt, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Oczon, 30-28.
The Lady Bullpups’ 3-pointers late in the period pulled them ahead at halftime, 44-43.
UST then opened the third period with a 7-0 run to take a 50-44 lead. The Lady Bullpups stormed back with a 17-11 run to end the frame, keeping the game tied at 61-all.
Tied at 76-all, Bri Katigbak briefly reclaimed the lead for NUNS with a series of free throws, 80-76. UST’s Kat Insoy and Lea Pineuela’s baskets then pushed the game to a deadlock once more, 80-all, with 2:12 remaining in regulation.
Inday Sales gave the lead back to the Lady Bullpups through a layup, 82-80, before Riri Perez answered with an inside incursion to knot the score at 82-all. Neither team could buy a basket from there en route to overtime.
Up 88-82, UST fended off the Lady Bullpups’ rally, which saw them come within two points, 89-87, after Sales’ freebies. But it was all Junior Tigresses from there, as the team finished the game on a 7-0 run to seal the series-opening win.
Perez led UST with 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Pineuela had 23 markers and six steals, while Oczon dropped 18 points and 11 boards.
Lady Bullpups’ Aubrey Lapasaran put up 25 points, six rebounds and three steals in the loss, while Rosano added 19 points and 14 boards. Bri Katigbak contributed 10 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.
Game 2 is on Wednesday, March 18, at the same venue. Venerando Pagaduan VII
