Despite being 9-0 and Final Four-bound, UST head coach Haydee Ong emphasizes that the Growling Tigresses are still taking it one game at a time in pursuit of reclaiming UAAP women's basketball glory.
Nine games in, nine wins later — the UST Growling Tigresses are rewriting their redemption arc one dominant performance at a time.
Now the lone unbeaten team in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament and the first to clinch a Final Four spot, the España-based squad has turned consistency into their deadliest weapon.
But even as the victories pile up, head coach Haydee Ong keeps her team’s feet firmly on the ground.
“Sabi ko sa girls sa dugout na it’s not about the winning streak or the record, but how we show up every game — ‘yung hunger namin to win every time we play,” Ong shared after UST’s commanding 95–66 victory over the Adamson Lady Falcons.
[ALSO READ: Pastrana, UST book first Final Four slot in UAAP Season 88 women's basketball]
Work in, wins later
That hunger has been the driving force behind the Growling Tigresses’ so-far dominant campaign in hopes of reclaiming the title that slipped away last season.
And the numbers back it up.
Of their nine victories, only one — a 75–66 opening-round triumph over Ateneo — was decided by single digit.
Their latest 39-point blowout of Adamson marked the fourth time this season they’ve won by at least 38 points.
Still, Ong keeps her team’s focus sharp.
“I think the final score doesn’t show how hard it really is. It’s all hard work. After Season 87, we really prepared to reclaim the crown,” she said.
That discipline has trickled down to her players, including Kent Pastrana, last season’s Mythical Team member, who tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds against Adamson.
“Hindi namin gaanong iniisip ‘yung standing namin ngayon. Mas nagfo-focus kami kung paano kami nag-i-improve,” Pastrana said.
Postseason regulars
The victory also marked UST’s seventh straight Final Four appearance under Ong — a streak that began in Season 80 (2017), her second year at the helm.
UST also sits firmly atop the standings, ahead of defending champion NU Bulldogs (8–1) and the Ateneo Blue Eagles (6–3).
“Slowly but surely, we’re on track toward our target now. Nasa Final Four kami, and hopefully, magtuloy-tuloy pa rin ‘yung panalo namin this second round,” Ong added.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.