A heated exchange between UST’s Lore Rivera and RTU’s Rica Francisco, with a little under seven minutes left in the third quarter, with the Tigresses well ahead 43-27, sparked the ugly fight.
UST’s Maica Vortes, Bettina Peñaflor, Tin Capilit, and Angel Anies were all thrown out for their involvement in the fracas.
The Lady Thunders capitalized on the loss of five players from the Tigresses’ bench and came within striking distance in the payoff period but ultimately fell short in their comeback.
UST is set to face University of the Philippines in the final four on June 4 while RTU ended its campaign in the pre-season tournament with a 0-4 card.
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