MANILA — University of Santo Tomas inched to within a win of an outright finals berth after unleashing its most dominant performance of the season — a resounding 105-85 dismantling of defending champion National University in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The Growling Tigresses, runners-up last year, stayed perfect at 13-0 and dealt the Lady Bulldogs only their second loss in the eliminations, putting UST in prime position to skip the Final Four altogether with one more victory against Far Eastern University on Wednesday.
Negrense gunner Kent Jane Pastrana led the onslaught with 26 points built on six triples, alongside seven rebounds, two assists, and a block. Bridgette Santos added an all-around line of 15 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Eka Soriano and Coi Danganan chipped in 14 and 12 markers, respectively. Isioma Onianwa also delivered a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.
UST’s balanced attack overwhelmed NU despite strong outings from Aloha Betanio and Karl Ann Pingol, who scored 19 points apiece. Kristine Cayabyab and Marga Villanueva added 16 and 10, but the Lady Bulldogs slid to 12-2.
In the other game, Adamson University tightened its grip on a Final Four spot with a gritty 77-71 win over Ateneo de Manila University. The Lady Falcons surged in the final minutes behind the trio of Nigerian center Kemi Adeshina, Elaine Etang, and Cheska Apag, climbing to solo fourth at 7-7.
The win formally knocked De La Salle University (5-8) out of semifinal contention for the third straight year, leaving only FEU (6-7) and Adamson in the hunt for the last Final Four berth.
Etang paced Adamson with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, five assists, two rebounds, and a steal, while Apag contributed 18 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
Adamson can secure back-to-back Final Four appearances if FEU loses to still-unbeaten UST in their elimination-round finale on Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum./PN
