FOURTH running UST Lady Tigresses ravaged past the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 72-68, last September 11 at the Arena in San Juan, as they hang on dearly to their Final Four bid with a 7-5 record.
Assistant coach Elie Chua said that the UST cagebelles stayed strong and kept pushing to the last minute to grab the win.
“They (Tigresses) did not give up to the end. They just kept playing hard even though they struggled to make the shots,” Chua said.
Ann Leonardo led the charge for the Tigresses with her steady layups that kept the Espana-based hoopbelles within striking distance, 42-45, with four minutes left in the third period. Leonardo, the only player of UST who scored in double digits, topscored for the Tigresses with 26 points.
The Lady Bulldogs, however, gained enough lift from Carmina Laguindanum who dominated from down low, handling 14 of the 24 points of the Lady Bulldogs’ output in the third canto. Jovelyn Mejia tallied 27 markers while Laguindanum added 25 points and 23 rebounds.
The efforts from Leonardo, Mary Silva and Kelly Salvador finally paid off as the Tigresses clipped a five-point lead against the Lady Bulldogs, 60-55, which they took care of even as a fierce Mejia gunned quick six points that kept NU at bay, down the three-minute mark of the final period, 64-61.
The Tigresses finally had a sigh of relief as Laguindanum manned the bench as she fouled out within the last two minutes of the game.
Mary Joy Galicia buffered the lead with her freethrows that iced the win for the Tigresses.
Meanwhile, The Tigresses took home the win against the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons, 68-57, last August 28.
Galicia rallied the Tigresses with a double-double performance making 21 points and 14 rebounds while Lady Maroons’ Katherine Binamira pumped 13 points for UP. Angelo Nonato P. Cabrera and Rey Ian M. Cruz
Box scores:
UST (72) – Leonardo- 26, Siapoc- 9, Andaya- 9, Galicia- 15, Bombeo- 6, Salvador- 4, Silva- 4, Laud- 4, Mejia- 2, Reyes- 0, Cabaylo- 0, Ong- 0, Obrador- 0, Dela Cruz- 0.
NU (68) – Mejia- 27, Laguindanum- 25, Meneses- 10, Bonleon- 2, Pama- 2, Batnag- 2, Santos- 0, Mandap- 0, Letigio- 0, Cudal- 0.
