UP falters in second half to hot-shooting UST

University of the Philippines put up a strong fight in the first half but was overpowered by University of Santo Tomas in the second half, 57-84, in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament,Sunday, October 13, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Finding themselves down by 6 at the end of the first quarter, 16-22, State-U made a strong showing in the second period, outscoring UST, 22-19, with Kye Pesquera leading the rally with 8 points, to cut the Tigresses’ lead to 3 at the half, at 38-41. 

In the beginning of the third period however, the Maroons were only down by five, 44-49, at the 03:44 mark, but UST managed to up their game on defense, limiting UP’s points to 8, and breaking away from what was a close game with their sharp shooting.

Karylle Sierba and Kent Pastrana made it rain, pulling away from UP and bringing their five point lead, 44-49, up to a 14-point margin, courtesy of three straight treys, and a jumper from Tacatac to close the third period, 60-46.

Come the fourth frame, Louna Ozar sparked a hope for UP, scoring two straight layups to cut the lead, 50-60. Their rally was short-lived though, with Pastrana answering back with a jumper that sparked a 17-2 run, giving the España-based squad a comfortable 77-52 margin with 5:08 left on the clock. The Tigresses lead then ballooned to 29, 84 – 55, from a Breana Pineda layup.

A glaring difference between the two teams were the bench points, with UST having 45, versus the Fighting Maroons’ 12. The Maroons also turned the ball over 32 times, which UST capitalized and converted to 38 points, compared to the latter’s 23 turnovers resulting in 16 points for the maroon-clad hoopers.

Ozar led the Diliman-based squad with 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, with Pesquera right behind her with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal, and Bariquit with eight points and eight rebounds.

On the other side, Tacatac waxed hot with 23 points including five triples, and two steals, while Sierba finished with 15 points on five three-pointers as well. Kent Pastrana added 11 points and five boards, and CJ Maglupay tallied a double-double of 10 markers, 11 rebounds, and a block.

The UP Fighting Maroons (3-5) look to bounce back in their game against the Adamson Lady Falcons (5-3) on October 27, Sunday, 10AM, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The UST Growling Tigresses (7-1) aim to grab their fifth straight win, this time in their home turf, when they play the Ateneo Blue Eagles (4-4) on October 19, Saturday, 10AM, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.

THE SCORES:

UST 84 – Tacatac 23, Sierba 15, Pastrana 11, Maglupay 10, Santos 8, Ambos 6, Soriano 5, Reliquette 4, Pineda 2, Bron 0, Pescador 0, Danganan 0, Serrano 0, Lopez 0, Amatong 0. 

UP 57 – Ozar 15, Pesquera 10, Bariquit 8, Sauz 6, Maw 6, Tapawan 5, Lozada 5, Mendoza 2, Jimenez 0, Barba 0, Vingno 0, Solitario 0, Nolasco 0. 

Quarterscores: 22-16, 41-38, 60-46, 84-57.