The UST Junior Growling Tigresses came up short of a semifinal berth in the girls’ division of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational after falling to Australia’s Rowville Secondary College, 81-78, on Thursday, June 25, at the OCBC Arena in Singapore.
UST finished second in the Girls Pool B standings with a 1-1 record after opening its campaign with a 75-45 victory over Mongolia’s Royal International School on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Rowville topped the group with a perfect 2-0 record to secure a spot in the semifinals.
UST struggled from the field, making just 29 of its 93 shot attempts (31.2%), while Rowville shot a more efficient 39.2% after going 29-for-74.
The Junior Growling Tigresses were outrebounded, 64-54, but forced 30 turnovers while committing only 18.
After trailing by five at halftime, 46-41, Rowville rallied by limiting UST to just nine points in the third quarter to take a 58-55 advantage entering the final period.
Rowville extended its lead to six with four minutes remaining before the Tigresses answered with a 5-0 run, capped by a timely Sofia Petalcorin free throw that trimmed the deficit to one, 74-73, with 57 seconds to play.
However, Rowville’s Vanessa Tavete responded with a clutch corner three on the next possession to push the lead back to four, 77-73, with 34 seconds left.
Lea Pinuela then missed a layup that could have cut the deficit to two before Rowville sealed the win from the free-throw line.
Tiedore Puoch paced Rowville with 33 points, 19 rebounds and six assists, while Tavete contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The tournament featured 12 boys’ teams and 12 girls’ teams from across the Asia-Pacific region, with the Philippines represented by the Junior Growling Tigresses in the girls’ division and the Far Eastern University-Diliman Baby Tamaraws in the boys’ division.
The NBA Rising Stars Invitational also featured developmental programs and appearances by Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, NBA legends Mitch Richmond and Jeremy Lin, and WNBA champion Lauren Jackson.
In UAAP Season 88, the Junior Growling Tigresses captured their second straight championship after sweeping the National University-Nazareth Lady Bullpups last March.
