UST issues UE trouncing

c/o UAAP

The University of Santo Tomas dominated their University of the East opposition on Wednesday at the Quadricentennial Pavillon inside the Growling Tigresses' campus in Manila, 76-36.

Two newcomers stepped up in the win, with Rocel Dionisio and Rachel Ambos leading the way.

The former packed the stat sheet with nineteen points, fifteen rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. As for the latter, she finished with eight points, five rebounds, and eight steals.

UST cranked it up during the second quarter, forcing the Lady Warriors to a 1/15 shooting in the period, while also forcing ten turnovers to establish a 42-14 lead after erecting a 21-12 lead in the first ten minutes of play.

Trailing by as much as forty points late, UE would finish with forty turnovers, leading to UST scoring 29 points off these mistakes.

In spite of the victory, head coach Haydee Ong was not pleased with the team's performance, noting their struggles with outside shooting as they only converted three makes out of their 24 attempts from beyond the arc.

"We really played badly last Saturday and we are still not satisfied with how we are playing, especially yung perimeters. We have to improve in our next game and find out why we are in a slump sa shooting namin," she shared to the media after the game.

The former national team mentor remains hopeful that the team can sync up during the second round, allowing for outstanding performances from her veterans and newcomers simultaneously.

Eka Soriano, who was revealed to be the leading candidate for Most Valuable Player after one round of action, played just 25 minutes for UST, netting nine points, three rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

The win keeps UST in step with the undefeated defending champions National University at 7-2.

Kamba Kone led UE with a near-double-double of eleven points and nine rebounds, with Minslie Paule also coming in close with eight markers and ten boards. The defeat is the ninth straight the Lady Warriors have endured this season.

The Scores:

UST 76 - Dionisio 19, Soriano 9, Tacatac 9, Pangilinan 8, Ambos 8, Villasin 7, Villapando 5, Santos 4, Bron 4, Serrano 2, Araza 1.

UE 36 - Kone 11, Paule 8, Nama 5, Anastacio 4, Terrinal 4, Gervacio 2, Sajol 2, Silva 0, Tinio 0, Delig 0.

Quarterscores: 21-12, 42-14, 60-25, 76-36.