Olivarez College ushers in record-breaking games for the WMPBL midway through its first regular season as a professional league.
Records were broken on Sunday at the Olivarez College Gymnasium in Parañaque as Stefanie Berberabe’s triple-double, and the New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas’ three-point shooting sizzled in Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) action.
As a budding professional league for women’s basketball in the country, the WMPBL ushered in a triple-header of games as teams reach the midway mark of the season.
Berberabe, a Gilas Women standout, put on a show in the final game of the day as she towed the Tagaytay-Tol Patriots to their first win in the season, coming up with historic performance en route to a 91-63 victory over the RK Hoops-Quezon City.
In her first game for the WMPBL, Berberabe dazzled with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists as the former NU standout became the first player to record a triple-double in the WMPBL as a professional league.
“I’m really proud of my teammates, my coaches, and management. We really stuck together and we all wanted our first win, so the mission was accomplished,” Berberabe said after the game.
Apart from her triple-double, she also had seven steals to complete her all-around performance.
Berberabe also had a lot of support coming by way of Luisa San Juan and Monique del Carmen who scored 24 and 18 points, respectively, on efficient shooting nights from the field.
In the earlier games, WMPBL Invitational Tournament MVP Afril Bernardino registered a double-double to power the New Zealand Bluefire-Batangas past the Solar Home-Pangasinan in a blowout, 100-61, snapping the latter’s three-game win streak.
Bernardino, also a Gilas Women mainstay, finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds, along with a respectable stat-line of four blocks, three assists, and two steals.
She fueled a second half runaway for the Valkyries as they stopped the Suns on their tracks, winning their fourth game in the last five outings and earning them solo lead in the standings.
It was a hot shooting night for New Zealand from beyond the arc as they registered a WMPBL record of 15 triples in a single game.
In the other match, Discovery-Rizal extended their win streak to three after dispatching the San Juan Lady Knights, 81-59.
Allana Lim continued to push the Derrick Pumaren-coached squad with 18 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Discovery-Rizal, along with the Solar Home-Pangasinan Suns and the San Juan Lady Knights, are in a gridlock in the middle of the standings of the 6-team tournament with identical 3-2 slates.
Tagaytay and RK Hoops-Quezon City each have one win with a 1-4 win-loss record.