UST completes season sweep to claim UAAP Season 87 girls basketball crown

The University of Santo Tomas took down National University Nazareth School, 63-57, in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 87 girls basketball tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan to complete a season sweep en route to the title.

NUNS was leading 57-52 with less than five minutes left in the fourth period before the Junior Growling Tigresses rallied to seal the victory.

Sandra Abrantes' free throws off Ashlyn Abiong's foul, which she followed eventually by a jumper off a Barby Dajao assist trimmed down UST's deficit to within one.

Zaydhen Rosano's foul brought Abrantes again to the line where she had a split which tied the game at 57.

With 2:31 remaining, Abrantes again made another basket to hand the lead to UST before MVP Barby Dajao's jumper widened the gap for the Junior Growling Tigresses. 

As she continued her clutch performance, Abrantes put the exclamation point with 10 ticks left to cap UST's 11-0 rally.

"Sabi nga sa amin ni Coach Sen [Dysangco], be ready when you’re called upon. Ginawa ko lang yung best na makakatulong sa team and sabi nga ni coach sa akin, do whatever it takes para manalo sa game. Ginawa ko lang yung maambag sa team kasi ang dami naming sacrifices na dito, kaya deserve namin ito,” Abrantes said.

Dajao had 22 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block to lead the Junior Growling Tigresses, while Abrantes had 14 points, nine of which came from UST's late run, as the España-based squad capped the season with a total of eight wins.

Dajao was named as Finals MVP after posting averages of 23.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 steals in the finals series.

“Nagpapasalamat talaga ako sa teammates ko na nag-step up, lalo na si Sandra. Hindi namin ine-expect na magiging dikit yung laban pero ginawa lang yung best namin para hindi masayang lahat ng pinagtrabahuan namin,” Dajao said.

This is UST's first official title after being co-champions with Adamson University back in 2020 as the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scores:

UST 63 – Dajao 22, Abrantes 14, Tambawan 6, Wenceslao 6, Insoy 5, Pinuela 5, Perez 3, Anonuevo 2, Onate 0, Banate 0.

NUNS 57 – Lapasaran 22, Rosano 12, Abong 6, Pascua 5, Avila 4, Trinidad 4, Mallari 2, Sales 2, Badajos 0, Singson 0.

Quarters: 21-23, 42-39, 50-54, 63-57.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News