Early losses molded UAAP women’s hoops champs Tigresses

MANILA, Philippines – The early losses of the UST Growling Tigresses played an important part in their dynasty-busting victory over the NU Lady Bulldogs, a coach said.

In an interview with CNN Philippines’ Sports Desk, UST assistant coach Arsenio Dysangco said the sour taste of early painful losses in UAAP Season 86 gave the Tigresses a boost in the winner-take-all Game 3 against the Bulldogs.

“When we won the 3x3 [women’s basketball competition] last season, beating NU, we started to believe that… we’re just as good. So, coming into the series, we thought that their championship experience, having won seven straight, is really something we have to [overcome,]” Dysangco said.

“Good thing that the first games in the elimination games, we really had a lot of tough and painful losses, probably four or five. The whole team cried over that, but the lessons were learned,” he added.

Ahead of Game 3, NU was eyeing to win their eighth straight championship. In the winner-take-all clash, they took a 15-point lead and looked primed to take home the gold medal once again.

Despite the struggles of NU main gun Camille Clarin, the Lady Bulldogs led by 14, 61-47, at the start of the fourth quarter.

However, the Tigresses showed resilience and composure, as Tantoy Ferrer, Kent Pastrana and Nikki Villasin chipped the lead away while employing a suffocating defensive scheme.

They tied the game late, and Villasin’s layup with 11.8 seconds remaining gave UST the lead, 71-69, which they maintained as they stopped the Lady Bulldogs from hoisting a good attempt as time expired.

“All the lessons of our losses, it really helped,” Dysangco said.

Villasin, for her part, called the improbable championship win of UST a “storybook ending.”

“Especially with how our season went, it was very up and down. And, we had lost to NU twice in the regular season,” Villasin said.

“At that point, I think there was nothing to lose [for us.] We were coming from a 17-year drought, but, at the same time, it would mean everything to win,” she added.

“It was more special that it was with this team. I just really love my teammates, we’ve been training since February so our preseason was really long. We just worked all year round.”