MANILA, Philippines - National U capped a perfect run to UAAP women’s basketball history, beating Far Eastern U, 59-48, to capture its first-ever championship yesterday in the Season 77 at the MOA Arena.
The Lady Bulldogs shifted to high gear in the second half and held the Lady Tams to only 18 markers in the last 20 minutes en route to NU’s maiden crown via a superb 16-game sweep.
NU coach Patrick Aquino said their actual preparation for this year’s competition started right after they lost to La Salle in the Season 76 championship duel.
“Two days after losing to La Salle, I told them: ‘Let’s start preparing already, we have a mission to achieve next year – get to the finals and win the championship,” said Aquino, whose squad hit pay-dirt only eight years into NU’s women’s hoops program.
The Lady Bulldogs dispatched all their opponents to get an outright finals berth with thrice-to-beat bonus. Then the cagebelles from Sampaloc overpowered the girls from Morayta in the first game of the finals, 80-58, to move on the verge of a historic crown.
“Hindi ganon kadali, every practice (It wasn’t easy, we worked hard every practice). I’m telling them, take it one game a time,” said Aquino.
The Lady Tams stormed to an early 11-2 lead but eventual Finals MVP Gemma Miranda came off the bench to bring NU back in the thick of things. The Lady Bulldogs went full throttle in the last 20 minutes, with Trixie Antiquiera’s back-to-back trey and four-point-play giving them 56-47 cushion with 2:14 left.
Miranda finished with 14 points and eight rebounds while Antiquiera and Andrea Tongco added 12 apiece to offset the six markers of season MVP Afril Bernardino and the four markers of Shelley Gupilan.
“We need another scorer as Afril and Shelley were not there, Gemma filled in and also Antiquiera,” said Aquino, who will return with an intact lineup next season with only Camilla Escoto graduating from the champion team.
Ana Valenzona led FEU with 14.