The Fighting Maroons’ answer to the comeback puzzle is yet to arrive.
Win remains elusive for the University of the Philippines (UP) Women’s Basketball Team (WBT) after being pounced by last season’s finalists, University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses, 61-75, in its Round 1 ender Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
State U continues to fall in the standings, tied with the Adamson Lady Falcons at 2-5.
This setback marks UP’s third consecutive loss against the España-based squad, dating back to Round 2 of Season 86.
In the wilderness
UST dominated right from the tip-off, with a basket from Oma Onianwa sparking a 9-0 run for the Tigresses.
Marielle Vingno powered through with back-to-back buckets to stop the early bleeding for the Maroons, followed by a 3-pointer from Camille Nolasco to close the gap to 2.
But the yellow shirts’ defense proved to be relentless, producing 12 unanswered points fueled by Jaja Pescador and ending the first quarter at 7-21.
State U began to find its rhythm during the second frame, trimming the lead to 16-26 via consecutive jumpers from Achrissa Maw, Louna Ozar and Nolasco.
Even then, the Thomasian cagers refused to back down, as Agatha Bron, Onianwa and Rachelle Ambos responded with their own conversions.
Alex Mendoza delivered a much-needed trey for the Diliman-based squad with 2:32 left, steering the team to 24-41 at halftime.
Yet, UST’s hot-handed Brigette Santos was a force to be reckoned with in the penultimate period, hitting shot after shot and boosting her team’s lead to as many as 25.
UP tried holding its ground as Mendoza once again fired up in the last minutes, alongside Shane Cunanan from the charity stripe, sealing the quarter with 36-58.
Coach Paul Ramos’ stalwarts stood firm in the final frame, with a pair of buckets from Vingno trimming the gap to 5, yet the Santos-led squad showed unrelenting effort in the latter half to close the match.
Costly shortcomings
While the Fighting Maroons’ field goals were more successful with a 41.2% rate compared to the Tigresses’ 31.3%, the latter’s defense forced UP to register a total of 39 turnovers.
This was capitalized by the España-based squad, producing 28 out of its 75 points off turnovers.
On the other hand, the Maroon cagers failed to convert the opponents’ foul woes, scoring 15 of 25 while UST was flawless at the free-throw line.
Camille Nolasco paced the Fighting Maroons with 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, alongside Alex Mendoza and Marielle Vingno, who chipped in 12 and 10 markers, respectively.
Meanwhile, Thomasian guard Santos stepped up for her team with 26 points, two assists and six steals.
The UP WBT will seek to regain momentum in its second-round run, which is set to kick off with a match against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws on Sunday, Oct. 26, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
