Tigbauanon Tacatac leads UST to fourth win in UAAP women’s tourney

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Ilongga basketball superstar Ana Mae Tacatac showed the way for the University of Santo Tomas (UST) after handing the University of the East (UE) a demolition exhibition, 107-44, in the ongoing UAAP women’s basketball tournament.

The pride of Tigbauan, Iloilo went unconscious from the shooting field and top-scored the Tigresses with 27 points, four rebounds, and three steals.

This is the second game where Tacatac led the Tigresses in scoring after a stellar debut two weeks ago against the Adamson Lady Falcons where she dropped 21 big points.

It was a close encounter against the UE squad when the challengers managed to stay within striking distance after the first quarter.

During the first 10 minutes of the game, UE just trailed by three points, 18-15, courtesy of their efficient shooting from downtown but once the second quarter began, UST went straight to business and took a 52-26 lead at the end of the half.

Tacatac’s solid offensive output in the second quarter spearheaded the Tigresses’ massive rally and was responsible for their 34-11 run.

UE failed to restore order and get back their shooting stroke as the Tigresses pounded them in both ends of the floor until the final frame.

Eka Soriano backstopped Tacatac with a near quadruple-double performance and finished the ball game with 20 points, eight assists, eight steals, and seven rebounds.

Aside from Tacatac and Soriano’s solid outing, Brigette Santos also delivered a tremendous performance and dropped a near triple-double stat line of 12 points, nine assists, and six steals.

UST’s loss only came from the ever-dominant National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs team and is looking to extend its winning streak when they clash with Far Eastern University (FEU) today.