National University is on the verge of reclaiming the championship that was once theirs: the UAAP Women’s Basketball title.

The Lady Bulldogs displayed their composure and championship mentality in the fourth quarter, with Cielo Pagdulagan's clutch go-ahead basket lifting them to a 72-71 victory over defending champion University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses to take Game One of the best-of-three UAAP Season 87 Finals on Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Pagdulagan, the presumptive Season 87 Rookie of the Year, exhibited poise beyond her years, scoring the game-winning layup to give NU a one-point advantage with 50.3 seconds left.

Despite shooting just 3-of-12 from the field prior to the basket, she made the most of the crucial moment.

UST had several opportunities to steal the win, but Kent Pastrana committed a traveling violation, and Tacky Tacatac missed a potential game-winning three-pointer, sealing NU’s victory and extending its winning streak to 15 games.

“I’m glad and happy for our players. Nobody veered away from what we do, especially in the second half. It’s a hell of a game for both teams. It’s good for the league and for fans that women’s basketball is turning out to be like this. That means the level in both teams is leveling up,” Lady Bulldogs head coach Aris Dimaunahan said.

The Lady Bulldogs surged in the second half, outscoring UST 18-7 in the third quarter to turn a 48-57 deficit into a 65-all tie with 5:56 left in the fourth. The run was capped by two free throws from Ann Pingol and a layup from Pagdulagan.

After a brief four-point lead thanks to Season 85 MVP Eka Soriano, NU responded with free throws from Pringle Fabruada and Gypsy Canuto to regain a slim 70-69 advantage with 1:38 remaining.

NU center Jainaba Konateh was assessed an unsportsmanlike foul for stepping into the landing area of Rachel Ambos’ three-point attempt with 41.5 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs will have a chance to reclaim the championship— their eighth title in the past nine UAAP seasons— on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

“We know for a fact that it’s a short series. The mindset of our team was very important to get Game 1. We should not look at the results right away; let the results take care of themselves,” Dimaunahan added.