Ateneo center Kacey Dela Rosa is the UAAP Season 87 women's basketball MVP, repeating her feat from Season 86.
Ateneo center Kacey Dela Rosa is the runaway MVP in UAAP Season 87 as she topped the statistical points race after their 14 elimination round games, officially claiming the award ahead of Game 2 of the Finals at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
Dela Rosa, whose Blue Eagles were eliminated in the first round of the step-ladder semifinals, was almost 20 statistical points (SPs) ahead of her closest rival, Kent Pastrana of defending champions UST.
The now back-to-back MVP was the league’s best scorer and best rebounder with totals of 309 points and 224 rebounds across the 14 games. She finished with a double-double each time out.
She ended up with 96.286 SPs while Pastrana, who has been pivotal in UST’s bid for back-to-back titles, was in second with 79.857 SPs.
Joining Dela Rosa and Pastrana in the women’s Mythical Five are UP’s Louna Ozar, Dela Rosa’s Ateneo teammate Sarah Makanjoula, and NU’s lone representative Angel Surada.
Ozar was third in the MVP race with 67.571 SPs, just a sliver ahead of Ateneo’s Junize Calago at 67 SPs. However, Calago is not eligible for a Mythical Five citation owing to her one-game suspension in Season 87.
Calago was in the Mythical Five in Season 86.
Meanwhile, Makanjoula ended up with 65.786, before Surada sneaked in into the Mythical Five with 62 SPs.
Surada’s teammate Cielo Pagdulagan was named Rookie of the Year with 56.571 SPs, good enough for 10th in the SPs race.
UST’s Karylle Sierba was her closest rival at 17th in the SPs race with 52.714 SPs.
The two top rookies will face off with their respective team's in Game 2 of the Finals later today where Pagdulagan and the Lady Bulldogs will look to close out defending champion UST with a 16-0 record en route to the championship.