UAAP: Ateneo’s Kacey Dela Rosa leads MVP race in women’s basketball

Ateneo’s Kacey Dela Rosa.–UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Kacey Dela Rosa led the Most Valuable Player race after the first round of the UAAP Season 86 women’s basketball tournament.

The Ateneo sophomore garnered a league-best 85.0 statistical points ahead of Far Eastern University’s Josee Kaputu’s 81.143 Sps.

Dela Rosa averaged 18.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 2.1 steals, and 1.4 assists through seven games where the Blue Eagles finished 5-2.

University Santo Tomas’ Kent Pastrana was third with 76.143 Sps, followed by University of the Philippines’ Favour Onoh at fourth with 74.286 Sps, while Ateneo’s  Junize Calago had 72.0 SPs to complete the top five.

Only one foreign student-athlete can make the Mythical Five giving a chance for No. 6 Stefanie Berberabe of National University with 65.75 Sps, UST’s Reynalyn Ferrer (65.0), NU’s Karl Pingol (64.714), Ateneo’s Jhazmin Joson (64.0), and NU’s Angelica Surada (62.0).

Kaputu was the league’s top scorer in the first round with 22.6 points per game while Onoh topped the rebounding and blocking departments with 13.7 and 3.4, respectively.

Joson led the league in assists with an average of 5.6 and minutes at 35.4 a game.

Berberabe averaged a league-high of 4.25 steals while also netting a +92 rating as a testament to how impactful she’s been when on the floor for the Lady Bulldogs.

Pingol was the most efficient shooter from the field with 58.5% shooting, as La Salle’s Louise Dela Paz topped the three-point and free-throw shooting percentage with 47.1% and 87.5%, respectively.

The second round begins on Wednesday with FEU (2-5) battling winless University of the East (0-7) at 9 a.m., while Adamson and La Salle–both 2-5–clash at 11 a.m. at Araneta Coliseum.

Defending champion NU (6-1) faces Ateneo (5-2) at 1 p.m., while UP, which failed to sweep the first round, takes on UST at 3 p.m.