Tigresses tame Lady Bulldogs to reclaim UAAP Season 88 crown

Proving that its stellar run two seasons ago wasn’t a fluke, University of Santo Tomas (UST) put on a roaring 79-64 statement victory over champion National University (NU) in Game 3 to reclaim the throne in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The

UST Growling Tigresses, who ended the NU Lady Bulldogs’ seven-year reign in Season 86 before being dethroned right away the next season, returned the favor once again in their trilogy to still get the job done after being denied of a perfect season. It’s t

he 13th tiara for Santo Tomas, the most in the women’s division, slowly but surely reclaiming its lost glory after dynastic NU lorded it over with eight championships in 11th straight finals appearances. Graduating

ace Kent Pastrana led the way for Santo Tomas, which swept the elims for an outright finals berth but lost in Game 1 for a dominant 16-1 campaign, with 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists, five steals and one block in only 25 minutes of play. With an al

l-around average of 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.8 steals, Ms. Pastrana e

arned the Finals MVP plum for a fitting swan song of her storied UAAP career marked by two titles and four Elite Team (Mythical Team) citations. And she wa

sn’t alone this time around, drawing ample support from Nigerian center Oma Onianwa (15), Karylle Sierba (10) and CJ Maglupay (10). Eka Soriano,

the Season 85 MVP and also a graduating Tigress, chipped in 10 points, six assists and five rebounds for a sweet exit with Ms. Pastrana. Sa

nto Tomas

rode on its convincing 95-70 win in Game 2 to avenge a close 84-79 win in Game 1, running away in the middle quarters to frustrate NU once again. After a flat