At A Glance
- National University capped off its stellar Season 87 run with a marvelous Game 3 performance as it reclaimed the UAAP women's title via a 78-73 victory over University of Santo Tomas at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday, Dec. 15.
National University capped off its stellar Season 87 run with a marvelous Game 3 performance as it reclaimed the UAAP women’s title via a 78-73 victory over University of Santo Tomas at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday, Dec. 15.

With rookie Cielo Pagdulagan catching fire, the Lady Bulldogs surged ahead and led 72-57 in the fourth which was enough to create a cushion that dampened a big Tigresses onslaught.
It was a redemption of sorts for NU as it bounced back from a lopsided Game 2 defeat and a sweet achievement after losing grip of the title it once held for seven consecutive years.
The squad relied on its dominance inside the paint, listing 36 points against UST's 16.
Pagdulagan, who was named the Finals Most Valuable Player, came out as the star of the show as she cashed in 21 points on top of nine rebounds, three assists and three steals while Angel Surada and Camille Clarin backed her up with 14 and 11.
Karl Ann Pingol also impressed off the bench with 10 points for NU.
Replicating her superb showing in the last contest, Karylle Sierba topped UST’s scoring column with 20 points while Tacky Tacatac backstopped her with 14.
Bridgette Santos, unfortunately, failed to conjure her magical 27-point output last game as she had a quiet eight points.
As expected, it was a tight affair for both squads in the first two quarters.
But things changed in the following minutes as the Lady Bulldogs banked on their fastbreak plays and balanced attack that pulled them ahead, 34-27 lead.
Sierba and Soriano managed to provide some fight for the Tigresses as they gradually trimmed the gap to level the score at 38 apiece heading into the break.
From there, the Lady Bulldogs slowly took the momentum and claimed their eighth crown in 10 seasons
The scores:
NU (78) – Pagdulagan 21, Surada 14, Clarin 14, Pingol 10, Cayabyab 5, Fabruada 4, Konateh 4, Betanio 3, Canuto 3, Bartolo 0, Villanueva 0
UST (73) – Sierba 20, Tacatac 14, Santos 8, Soriano 8, Pastrana 7, Maglupay 7, Bron 5, Danganan 4, Ambos 0, Serrano
Quarterscores: 17-17, 38-38, 65-50, 78-73