Tigresses climb one more step up Final Four ladder, oust Lady Falcons

Grace Irebu had a monster outing of 28 points, 20 rebounds and three blocks as University of Santo Tomas weathered a late Adamson University comeback to carve out a 78-69 victory Sunday in the UAAP Season 81 women’s basketball step-ladder semifinals at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigresses lost a 46-25 second half lead but displayed tremendous poise down the stretch to eliminate the Lady Falcons out of the playoff picture.

Fourth-ranked UST will take on No. 2 Far Eastern University for the remaining Finals berth on Wednesday at the Big Dome.

The step-ladder survivor takes on four-time defending champion National University in the best-of-three championship starting next week.

Irebu simply imposed her will in the middle in 36 minutes of action, as Adamson University could not stop the Congolese center.

“Grace proved so many times, especially sa mga knockout games, that she’s the MVP of Season 81. Hopefully, she will get better every year,” said UST mentor Haydee Ong.

Sai Larosa also delivered with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Tigresses. UST has won three straight do-or-die matches, including two against La Salle.