Last season began with clear skies for the University of the Philippines (UP) Women’s Basketball Team (WBT), which stormed to a 2-0 start before a five-game skid ushered in a season-long turbulence that saw the Fighting Maroons end the season with a 3-11 finish.
This season, the clouds are beginning to part for State U as it has doubled last season’s first-round win total, improving from a 2-5 record to four wins and three losses.
Although clouds still linger, the Diliman-based squad has shown a brighter outlook this season as it continues to weather the challenges ahead in pursuit of returning to the Final Four.
The first ray of sunshine came in the form of a come-from-behind victory over the Kacey dela Rosa-led Ateneo Blue Eagles, snapping a two-season losing streak dating back to Round 1 of Season 87.
However, dark clouds soon gathered as back-to-back losses against Far Eastern University and Adamson left the maroon shirts with a 1-2 record.
Light carved through the skies as UP WBT found its footing, stringing together consecutive victories over De La Salle University, the University of the East and an upset against Season 88 finalist National University.
Still, the skies grew threatening once more as the Fighting Maroons faced their toughest test against the defending champions, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigresses, to close out the first round.
Weathering the storm
Despite ultimately falling short, 66-75, UP WBT kept pace with the current league leaders, seizing the lead multiple times and going toe-to-toe with the undefeated Growling Tigresses in their matchup on Sunday, Oct.25 at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
Carrying confidence and momentum from its three-game winning streak, State U asserted itself from the opening tip, with Shane Cunanan drawing first blood off a layup before Kennan Ka poured in eight points to fuel UP’s early surge, capped by Louna Ozar’s layup that gave the maroon shirts a 13-4 advantage, their largest lead of the game.
The España-based squad then responded with conversions from Erinn McAlary and Karylle Sierba, while senior Brig Santos drained a triple to knot the score at 18-all by the end of the first quarter.
Both squads traded baskets in a tightly contested second frame where UP relied on the joint efforts of Ka, Ozar and Achrissa Maw to counter UST in a back-and-forth battle that saw four deadlocks and five lead changes, ending in the Fighting Maroons’ narrow 36-34 advantage by halftime.
Despite having the upper hand in the first half, the Diliman-based squad struggled to convert its scoring opportunities in the penultimate period, allowing the defending champions to regain momentum and outscore State U, 12-23, behind the efforts of Oma Onianwa and Coi Danganan.
Cashing in on the momentum shift, Sierba extended the yellow shirts’ lead to nine heading into the final frame, 48-57.
With another upset still within reach, Blessing Francis and Camille Nolasco mounted an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter, holding the yellow shirts scoreless for nearly three minutes to cut the deficit to just one, 56-57.
Santos quickly answered upon returning to the floor, scoring nine of her 14 markers in the fourth quarter alone to help the Growling Tigresses pull away, leading by as many as 12 points, 61-73.
Ka and Ozar attempted to spark a late-game chase for State U, but the clock ultimately worked against them, sealing the victory in favor of the España-based squad.
Ka rained down a season-high of 22 points and five rebounds for the Fighting Maroons, fueling the offense alongside Ozar and Nolasco, who chipped in 13 and 12 markers, respectively.
Sierba powered the Thomasian offense with 18 points, while McAlary chipped in on both sides of the floor with a double-double performance of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Despite dropping to the fifth seed at the end of the first round, State U looks to weather the challenges ahead and strengthen its Final Four bid as it faces UST once more in the second-round opener on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
