UAAP: Tigresses roar past Maroons to extend perfect start

MANILA — University of Santo Tomas opened the second round of the UAAP Season 89 women’s basketball tournament with a dominant 93-65 victory over the University of the Philippines, Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was an emphatic statement from the defending champions, just over 72 hours after battling to a 75-66 win over the same UP team. 

This time they left no room for doubt, posting a wire-to-wire win and leading by as many as 35 points. The Tigresses have now won eight straight games.

“Last game, we started really flat and in-emphasize ko sa mga girls today na we have to start strong and finish strong. We emphasized ‘yung last training practices namin to give pride on our defense and we really shut down UP today,” said UST head coach Haydee Ong. “Kudos to the girls. They really worked hard for this win.”

Oma Onianwa led the Growling Tigresses with a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Brig Santos and Karylle Sierba chipped in 18 points apiece.

The Growling Tigresses set the tone early, unleashing a 25-9 run in the opening quarter punctuated by Barby Dajao’s free throws to seize control of the contest.

UST continued to pull away in the second period, with Sierba and Onianwa combining for 28 first-half points to outscore UP on their own. The Growling Tigresses took a commanding 54-21 lead into the break.

The Fighting Maroons managed to outscore UST, 22-18, in the third quarter, but the deficit remained too steep to overcome as the Growling Tigresses carried a 72-43 advantage into the final period.

UP failed to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, with Onianwa capping UST’s dominant performance with a layup with more than eight minutes remaining as the Growling Tigresses cruised to their eighth consecutive victory.

UP fell to 4-4 in the standings. 

Louna Ozar paced UP with 16 points, three rebounds, and four assists, while Kenna Ka and Camille Nolasco contributed 15 and 12 points, respectively.

UST 93 – Onianwa 20, Santos 18, Sierba 20, Dajao 14, Relliquette 7, C. Danganan 5, Ambos 2, Bron 2, K. Danganan 2, McAlary 2, Wenceslao 2, Maglupay 1, Pescador 0, Tate 0, Boteros 0.

UP 65 – Ozar 16, Ka 15, Nolasco 12, Maw 11, Vingno 6, Abrams 3, Torres 2, Tapawan 0, Francis 0, Cunanan 0, Loon 0, Pesquera 0, Mejasco 0, Tapinit 0.

Quarterscores: 25-9, 54-21, 72-49, 93-65.