University of Santo Tomas overcame Far Eastern University's brave challenge to secure a 101-84 victory, completing a historic elimination round sweep and booking an outright UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball Finals spot on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Fueled by the combined efforts of Nigerian center Oma Onianwa, Karylle Sierba, and Coi Danganan, the Growling Tigresses advanced to their third consecutive Finals appearance with a clear goal: reclaiming the crown the España-based program lost in Season 87.
UST did more than just clinch a Finals berth. The Growling Tigresses pulled off a rare elimination round sweep with a dominant average winning margin of 32.71 points per game — the program’s first since the league began officially tracking statistics in 2003.
The Lady Tamaraws, playing with their backs against the wall, gave everything they had on the floor but fell short of extending their season.
“Una muna sa lahat, kudos muna to coach Raiza (Palmera-Dy) and FEU -- they played really well and gave us a hard time. Maganda rin ito para parang warm-up ito sa Finals,” UST head coach Haydee Ong said.
“Of course, we’re happy na na-sweep namin, but the job is not yet done. We still have two more games to end the season. We will take a break muna after this, reset, and review what needs to be improved sa sarili namin,” she added.
FEU stayed within striking distance, as an Amyah Espanol layup and a Shem Abatayo floater trimmed the lead to 75-67 with 6:58 left.
But three consecutive inside hits by Onianwa, Ceejay Maglupay, and Danganan restored a 15-point advantage at 82-67 with 5:54 remaining.
The Lady Tamaraws staged one final stand, with a Yvette Villanueva layup and an MJ Manguiat three-pointer, slicing the cushion to 82-72.
However, Danganan, Sierba, and Brigette Santos took turns to effectively seal UST’s hard-fought win, building a 16-point lead at 88-72 with 3:48 left.
The triumph officially eliminated FEU from postseason contention for the fourth consecutive season and triggered a stepladder format for the second straight year, featuring second-ranked defending champion National University, third-ranked Ateneo de Manila University, and fourth-ranked Adamson University.
The Growling Tigresses now sit back and wait for the stepladder winner.
The Blue Eagles and Lady Falcons battle for the right to challenge the reigning champion Lady Bulldogs in the semifinals.
Sierba finished with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals, while Danganan contributed 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, along with six rebounds and two blocks.
Onianwa registered a near double-double with 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds, while Eka Soriano added 13 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and one steal.
Kent Pastrana was limited to 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting but recorded eight rebounds, seven steals, and five assists, while Santos rounded out UST’s balanced attack with 10 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Meanwhile, FEU finished the season with a 6-8 record and will lose the services of Abatayo, Villanueva, and Joann Nagma in Season 89.
Espanol led FEU with 25 points on 7-of-9 shooting, along with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Abatayo poured in 21 points, four steals, three rebounds, and three assists in her final UAAP game.
Manguiat contributed 12 points, while Villanueva recorded a near double-double with nine points, eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, and one block in her last outing as a Lady Tamaraw.
The Scores:
UST (101) – Sierba 17, C. Danganan 15, Onianwa 14, Soriano 13, Pastrana 13, Santos 10, Maglupay 8, Ambos 5, Relliquette 4, Bron 2, Pineda 0, Pescador 0, McAlary 0.
FEU (84) – Espanol 25, Abatayo 21, Manguiat 12, Villanueva 9, Dela Torre 6, Nagma 4, Pasilang 3, Salvani 2, Ong 2, Lopez 0, Garavan 0, Patio 0.
Quarterscores: 28-17, 50-38, 72-59, 101-84.