UST Tigresses fend off NU, force title decider

MANILA, Philippines — New heroes emerged for University of Santo Tomas as Brigette Santos and Karylle Sierba kept their title repeat bid alive on Wednesday.

Behind Santos and Sierba, the Growling Tigresses got back at National University, 78-68, in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 87 women’s basketball finals.

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Santos set the tone and unleashed a career-high 27 points while Sierba flourished in the fourth quarter, where she fired 15 of her 18 points as UST forced a winner-take-all duel on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

READ: UAAP Finals: UST Tigresses hold heads high, eye Game 2 bounce back

UST coach Haydee Ong, Karylle Sierba, and Brigette Santos after taking game 2 to equalized the finals series. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/cyBTahngzq

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) December 11, 2024

“Dinedicate ko lang po talaga yung paglalaro ko lalo na ngayon — championship — kay Coach Haydee kasi siya po talaga yung naniwala talaga sa akin na kaya ko, kaya kong gawin,” said an emotional Santos, who also had two rebounds, four assists and two steals.

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“Basta magtulungan lang kami, maniwala lang kami sa sarili namin, and yun. Ginawa naman po namin sa training lahat and thankfully, lumabas naman po.”

NU erased UST’s strong first half just like in Game 1 and even took the lead in the final frame before Sierba waxed hot, hitting two crucial treys and slashing for nifty layups that gave the Growling Tigresses a 62-59 lead. UST star Kent Pastrana then followed it up with back-to-back baskets for a 66-59 cushion.

Camille Clarin stopped the bleeding for the Lady Bulldogs with a big three but Santos came right back to restore the order for the Tigresses with two consecutive layups for a 70-62 advantage with three minutes to play.

With NU still in it, Sierba and Nicole Danganan put the game away for good, 76-65, with 34.7 ticks to go.

READ: UAAP Finals: NU Lady Bulldogs survive UST in Game 1

Sierba and Santos on stepping up when it mattered most for UST. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/TVsM2Gw5jl

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) December 11, 2024

“Kumpiyansa lang po talaga kasi yung mga ates ko, sobrang dinidikitan na po sila. So parang naisip ko na hindi sila nakafocus sakin. So yun na yung time para maipakita ko yung skills ko kung kaya ko ba makipagtapat sakanila,” said rookie Sierba, who scored her career-high in just 12 minutes of action.

“Nagtulungan lang po kami kung paano namin maii-stop yung NU and marami kaming mali and sana maitama namin sa Sunday para mas maganda pa yung performance na maipapakita namin,” she added.

Pastrana, a Mythical Team member, had 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Agatha Bron added eight points.

“I’m very proud because it’s all a team effort talaga from offense to defense. Meron kaming mga miscues on our defense, and then we adjusted. One hell of a game from Brigette and Karylle. Salute talaga dito sa dalawa,” said UST coach Haydee Ong.”

UST led as many as 15 in the second quarter but Rookie of the Year Cielo Pagdulagan scored five straight points to cap NU’s 9-0 run to cut it down to four, 24-20, with 4:11 minutes left at the half.

The Lady Bulldogs got the momentum in the third with Angel Surada and Pringle Fabruada giving their side a 43-39 lead with 4:13 left in the third quarter. But the Tigresses got their act together in the fourth and snapped NU’s 15-game unbeaten run.

Pagdulagan led NU with 16 points. Clarin finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Karl Ann Pingol had 11 points and nine rebounds, while Fabruada added 10 points.

The Scores:

UST (78) – Santos 27, Sierba 18, Pastrana 11, Bron 8, Soriano 6, Danganan 6, Maglupay 2, Tacatac 0, Ambos 0, Serrano 0.

NU (68) – Pagdulagan 16, Clarin 12, Pingol 11, Surada 10, Fabruada 5, Villanueva 5, Betanio 4, Konateh 3, Canuto 2, Cayabyab 0, Talas 0.

Quarterscores: 20-9, 32-25, 48-49, 78-68.