By NIKOLE JAVIER
National University Lady Bulldogs extended their winning record to 100 straight games at the expense of University of the Philippines, 79-44, in the UAAP Season 85 women’s basketball tournament Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The Lady Bulldogs came straight to business after unloading a 31-6 first-quarter assault against the Fighting Maroons which was enough to pull away and stretch their unbeaten run to 100 matches.
Mikka Cacho tallied 15 points and five rebounds which included the final triple of the match to help NU claim its fourth straight win of the season.
The last time an NU women's side fell short was nine years ago when it dropped its do-or-die finale against De La Salle Lady Archers in the UAAP Season 76 on October 5, 2013.
The Lady Bulldogs reached the new milestone 3,104 days later, with the school getting another proud moment apart from being the defending champion for six straight seasons.
“The goal today was to bounce back from a very parang pangit na defensive game against UST last time out. So, today the emphasis was defense on how well we could defend today. I thought we did better today than the UST game and we want to reestablish our identity today,” said NU head coach Aris Dimaunahan.
“This game, this 100th win is an honor doon sa mga unang naglaro sa amin. Most especially, to the ones who started this, to the architect of this streak which is my kumpare coach Pat Aquino. I know you will all agree with me that he’s the best women’s basketball coach in the country this win is for him.”
Meanwhile, Acrissa Maw paced UP with 12 points along with five rebounds in a losing effort as they dropped to 2-2 in the standings.