MANILA — Behind a near triple-double from Ilongga standout Ririn Perez, University of Santo Tomas Junior Growling Tigresses sent an early warning to their rivals after dismantling De La Salle Zobel Junior Lady Spikers, 90-59, to launch their UAAP Season 88 Girls’ Basketball Tournament title defense Wednesday at the Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan.
Perez anchored UST’s dominant showing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists—just one assist shy of a triple-double—while also collecting three steals and two blocks in a commanding all-around performance. Indonesian center Koukou Talla added muscle inside with 15 points and 12 rebounds as the Junior Growling Tigresses steadily pulled away after a cautious start.
The win placed UST alongside National University Nazareth School at the top of the early standings in the four-team field.
“Kulang pa kami sa calmness and stability doon sa first few quarters. We hope na pagdating namin sa mga next games, slowly that the girls can adjust, lalo na yung bago na first-timer na naglalaro,” UST head coach Sen Dysangco said.
After a tentative opening quarter that ended tied at 17-all and saw La Salle Zobel briefly hold a five-point lead, UST asserted control in the second period, outscoring the Junior Lady Spikers, 28-15. Back-to-back layups by Lea Pinuela and an and-one by Sandra Abrantes sparked the surge, sending the Tigresses into halftime up, 45-32.
UST broke the game wide open in the third quarter, unleashing a decisive 22-6 run capped by consecutive layups from Pinuela, Perez, and Sabel Anacan to stretch the lead to 67-38.
La Salle Zobel attempted a brief rally when Ching Gales scored inside to cut the deficit to 69-49 with under seven minutes remaining, but Perez answered with a three-pointer, followed by baskets from Janice Oczon and Talla, restoring a commanding 77-51 advantage that sealed the outcome.
Aklanon Oczon finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Ilongga Pinuela contributed 10 points, five assists, three rebounds, and three steals for UST.
For De La Salle Zobel, Ima Navarro posted a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Gales added 13 points, four rebounds, one steal, and one block in the loss./PN
BOX SCORE
UST 90 – Perez 19, Talla 15, Oczon 13, Pinuela 10, Petalcorin 8, Abrantes 7, Townes 5, Labay 4, Mateo 4, Arciaga 3, Anacan 2, Kallos 0, Capinpin 0, Hew 0
DLSZ 59 – Navarro 15, Gales 13, Martinez 9, Padigos 8, Ogario 6, Dulay 4, Gerona 3, Winar 1, Contreras 0, Roque 0, Sanares 0
Quarter scores: 17-17, 45-32, 67-46, 90-59
