By Jean Malanum
MANILA – University of Santo Tomas (UST) whipped Ateneo de Manila University, 170-46, in the UAAP Season 87 girls’ basketball tournament at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Sunday.
UST’s total output broke the previous record set by Adamson University, 121-44, also against Ateneo, in the tournament’s inaugural game day on Jan. 11, 2020
The 124-point winning margin also surpassed the 99-point blowout (115-16) that De La Salle-Zobel recorded against Ateneo on Feb. 9.
Grachelle Boteros scored 25 points, grabbed six rebounds and issued four assists for the Junior Tigresses, who are unbeaten after four starts.
Barby Dajao also chipped in 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals, while Rhiane Perez had 20 points.
“We really do not focus on the wins. What we are doing in the UST program is improving ourselves every day, not only in skills but also in character. Every day, we ask: ‘Are we better today as a person and as a basketball player than yesterday?’” UST coach Sen Dysangco said after the match.
“As we all know, these are high school kids, that is why we are not focused on winning. This is so that when they get older, they will be able to carry the strong character,” he added.
Tyler Templo and Virlene Gozum scored 14 and 10 points, respectively for Ateneo, which suffered its fourth loss.
Dysangco, one of the directors in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, noted Ateneo’s resilience.
“I cannot express how proud I am to see the players from Ateneo and La Salle. It takes a lot of courage to go out there knowing that the program has just started. It’s really, really tough. Me, I’m going through it with my other team. I salute the kids who go out there and represent their school. They don’t think about the score,” he said.
Dysangco stressed the importance of having the tournament, especially after the pandemic.
“It’s crucial and critical for programs like these to have this tournament. We had this tournament before then pandemic came. I hope they just continue and never give up. These are birth pains that we have to go through as a coach and heads of institutions. Let’s not give up with our girls and let’s support them,” he said. (PNA)
