Kent Pastrana unleashes 23 points for UST vs Adamson
Defending champion University of Santo Tomas excelled over the Adamson University Lady Falcons, 71-59, in the knockout step-ladder semifinal of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, December 4, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Growling Tigresses renewed its rematch against the unbeaten National University Lady Bulldogs for the second straight year.
Kent Pastrana paced the victory for the black-and-gold highlighted by a double-double exhibition of 23 points and 16 rebounds to go along with eight assists, two steals, and one block.
"Because we relaxed in the second quarter. We decided not to give confidence to the opponent because, of course, Adamson will fight to the end and they will not let their team lose," said Pastrana, who will be part of the mythical team for the third time.
"We came back in the second half, we regrouped what we needed to adjust and our mistakes. We started with defense,” she added.
As the Growling Tigresses lost steam after a scorching 21-4 start, the Lady Falcons gained momentum before the end of the first quarter, which resulted in a 37-35 lead at the half.
Midway through the third quarter, behind 39-43, Pastrana started to blaze through for the UST, putting up six points in a row to spark a 17-3 run that culminated with a short stab from CJ Maglupay for a 56-46 lead in the closing seconds of the quarter.
Adamson trimmed the deficit down to six after Kat Agojo sank a basket underneath, 60-54. With 3:45 remaining, however, Tacky Tacatac made a key corner triple to help UST hold off its opponent, 67-65.
With 1:41 remaining, Pastrana found Nicole Danganan free underneath on two straight possessions to seal the victory with a 71-57 edge.
CJ Maglupay’s performance was also pivotal for the Tigresses, finishing with a double-double of 13 markers and 11 boards along with six deflections.
Tacatac and Bridgette Santos delivered 10 points apiece, with the latter adding a game-high seven steals.
“Credit also to Adamson, coach Ryan and the girls, they really gave us a hard time. Salute to them. It's all total team effort and at the end of the day our defense dictated in the second half against Adamson,” said UST coach Haydee Ong.
The Scores:
UST 71 – Pastrana 23, Maglupay 13, Santos 10, Tacatac 10, Ambos 7, Danganan 4, Sierba 4, Soriano 0, Bron 0, Amatong 0, Pescador 0, Relliquette 0.
Adamson 59 – Etang 12, Adeshina 12, A. Alaba 9, Apag 7, Agojo 6, Bajo 4, Limbago 4, Padilla 3, Manlimos 2, Meniano 0, Ornopia 0, E. Alaba 0, Mazo 0.
Quarter Scores: 21-12, 35-37, 56-48, 71-59
