THE UST Tigresses bounced back from a three-game losing skid, handing Ateneo De Manila University its fifth-straight loss, 72-63, in the UAAP women’s basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan last July 21.
Down by two points at the start of the payoff period, UST unleashed a 14-2 run, capped by team captain Marian Mejia’s fastbreak layup, to build a 12-point separation, 67-55, with three minutes left in the game.
Lady Eagle Kat Nunez sank a three-pointer with under a minute left to keep UST within striking distance.
“The team really prepared well for this game. [The Tigresses] practiced their freethrows because they were crucial in our past tight-scoring games,” coach Chris Cantonjos said. “We identified what went wrong in our past games and adjusted to the needs of the team. We focused on our weaknesses [as a group] and tried to adjust to the playing style of our opponent.”
The Tigresses found their rhythm early, erecting a 10-0 run to keep the Lady Eagles scoreless in the first five minutes of the game. But Ateneo broke free from UST’s stifling defense and cut the deficit to four, 16-12, at the end of the first quarter.
“I really made the team execute press defense since we knew Ateneo’s centers were difficult to contain,” Cantonjos said. “They have the height advantage so we needed extra effort in guarding their big men.”
The starters carried the load for UST, combining for 63 points. Ong led the way with her game-high 20 markers and seven rebounds. Kim Reyes had 19 points while center Maica Cortes put up a double-double 11 points and 17 boards for the Tigresses.
Nunez steered the Lady Eagles with 15 points while Danica Jose contributed 14 points to go with 16 rebounds.
The Tigresses fell short against two-time defending champion Far Eastern University (FEU), 51-52, in their July 14 encounter at the same venue.
Mejia had the chance to send the game into overtime but failed to complete a three-point play with seven seconds remaining as they absorbed their third-straight loss.
With 57 ticks left in the game, UST erected a 9-0 run, capped by Jeannine Ong’s jumpshot, to cut the deficit to three, 49-52.
“We’ve already adjusted with handling press defense, but this time, the freethrows were the ones that hurt our game,” said Cantonjos whose wards made only seven of 16 freethrows compared to FEU’s 12 of 17.
Cortes recorded 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Tigresses with Ong and Mejia, who each tallied 11 markers.
Camille Sambile paced the Lady Tamaraws with a game-high 18 points and 13 rebounds.
