THE UST Growling Tigresses failed to put an end to the NU Lady Bulldogs’ unbeaten streak, yielding to them in their Round 2 encounter on Wednesday, 76-70, in the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Growling Tigresses have yet to win an elimination game against the Lady Bulldogs since Round 2 of Season 75 in 2012, when they secured a narrow 74-73 victory.
“Let’s give credit to NU; they played better today,” UST head coach Haydee Ong said postgame. “‘Yong mga adjustment namin na sinabi noong halftime, unfortunately, ‘di namin na-execute (sa) offense namin. They played better defense than us.”
The Tigresses dropped to a 9-2 win-loss slate, with both defeats coming at the hands of the Lady Bulldogs. NU remained atop the standings and moved a game closer to triggering a stepladder semifinals.
The Growling Tigresses zoomed to an 11-5 start in the opening canto before NU dropped a 19-8 bomb to lead by four heading into the second frame, 23-19.
UST struggled to contain Camille Clarin in the second frame as she scored 11 points, giving the Lady Bulldogs a four-point lead at halftime, 44-40.
UST came out surging after halftime, mounting a 12-6 run to get the lead, 52-51. However, NU fired back to regain control, 61-59, at the end of the third frame.
Ann Pingol and rookie Cielo Pagdulagan shut down UST’s hopes for a comeback as they powered an 11-3 NU run at the start of the fourth, overwhelming the Tigresses and dealing them their second defeat, 76-70.
The Lady Bulldogs controlled the paint with 47 rebounds to UST’s 32, allowing them to convert 22 second-chance points.
Tacky Tacatac led UST in the loss with 21 markers, including five triples, while CJ Maglupay tallied 10 points and six boards off the bench.
Kent Pastrana, who went down with an apparent leg injury with three seconds to go in the game, tallied 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting, along with six rebounds and five assists.
Clarin produced 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Pagdulagan and Pingol delivered 17 and 11 markers, respectively.
The UST Growling Tigresses will look to bounce back against the UE Lady Warriors at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 9, at noon.
