Tigresses reach for same weapon that helped them score stunning title upset last season

UST’s Kent Pastrana (left) fires from the perimeter against Ateneo’s defense. —UAAP MEDIA

When University of Santo Tomas (UST) ended a 17-year title drought last year and toppled a dynasty in the UAAP women’s basketball tournament, the Growling Tigresses hugely banked on their long-range arsenal.

And to keep the crown on their heads this Season 87, the Tigresses aren’t planning on changing their proven and tested method.

“That was our system even in the last season. We were really No. 1 in three-pointers so I think that’s a big weapon for us that even our bigs can shoot threes,” coach Haydee Ong said after Santo Tomas improved to a 2-0 start with a dominant 77-54 win against Ateneo on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

UST drained 12 shots from behind the arc, half of which came in the first quarter to gain a 32-20 advantage against the Blue Eagles in yet another convincing win this season after dominating University of the East in its title-retention bid opener, 86-44.

“We are happy that we won convincingly again today … but in the next game we are back to zero. We will not be complacent, we will still work harder to get the win every time we play,” Ong said.

Kent Pastrana, a mythical five member last season, continues to be a leader for the Tigresses after coming up with 20 points including two three-pointers apart from eight rebounds, three steals and a block.

Ana Tacatac led Santo Tomas in the long-range with four, including a buzzer-beater from the logo to cap the opening frame, on the way to 14 points. Eka Soriano and Amby Ambos, a forward, each had two triples for 12 and 10 points, respectively.

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Kayla Relliquette nailed her only attempt while Agatha Bron also had one.

“It will be one of our keys to success and why we are still winning now is because of our three-point shots,” Ong, who is confident in having some of the best pieces in the league today, said.

“[We] have versatile guards in UST plus of course the addition of Kent to us so our back court is formidable,” Ong said. “Like I said early in the season, if not the best, we have some of the best guards [in the league] in UST.”

But for Pastrana, the Tigresses cannot feel too high and mighty being at the top despite being the defending champions and having an impressive start.

“The ones who are looking up at us want to bring us down because we are at the top,” the star guard said. “But it doesn’t matter that we are on top, we won’t be relaxing so we need to stay consistent.”

The Tigresses certainly can’t be too full of themselves with another undefeated team in Adamson being their next assignment on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.

“We definitely have the mentality of being a champion but it doesn’t mean that if you are the champion [you will be arrogant], you need to stay humble and have respect for everyone,” Pastrana said. INQ