They had a shaky second quarter.
They were down by 20 points.
They refused to lose.
The number four seed UP Fighting Maroons hacked out an 88-80 come-from-behind overtime victory over the third-seeded UST Growling Tigresses on Wednesday to extend their Final Four duel to a do-or-die match in the UAAP Season 86 women’s basketball tournament.
As UP mounted its comeback from a huge deficit in the first half, Louna Ozar caught fire, eventually leading the Diliman-based squad out of the extra period with their hands raised.
For the Filipino-French cager, who finished with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, the win was a collective effort.
"It's all about the support of the team. Everybody cheering each other. This energy (boosted us),” said the 19-year-old, who scored six huge buckets in OT, in a media release.
As impressive as Ozar was, her teammate Favour Onoh might’ve had an even better day. After the match at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, the Nigeria native revealed what it is exactly that inspired her to tally 14 points and a whopping 30 rebounds.
“Today is my birthday, and I dedicate this game to them (UP community) because it’s a special day today. I'm very much excited that we won this game and also, we should not give up the momentum to face our next game," added Onoh.
Kent Pastrana was superb as usual for UST, posting 29 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and as many steals. But her all-around effort went for naught.
The Growling Tigresses will try to avoid ending up on the wrong side of history, as UP aims to make its first finals appearance since 2008.
The winner of their knockout game this Saturday will be the NU Bulldogs’ dance partner in the finals. The defending champions defeated the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the other half of the semifinals on Wednesday.
(PM)