MANILA -- University of Santo Tomas stepped closer towards a playoff spot after dismantling Cavite-TOL with a dominant 96-46 victory in the 2025 Women's Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament, Wednesday at the Divine Light Academy Gym.

The Growling Tigresses, now at 5-1, tied Philippine Navy for the top spot in a tightly contested Pool B of the tournament, which is backed by Manny Pacquiao, Senator Francis Tolentino, and the MPBL Partylist.

UST's lead ballooned to as much as 51 points, 96-45, following an Oma Onianwa layup with 2:27 left in the game.

"Happy, but at the same time, we still have a lot of work to do. Kasi 'yun nga, kahit naman convincing 'yung win namin, for sure naman 'yung ibang teams, gumagaling din," said Growling Tigresses head coach Ged Austria.

"Karamihan ng teams dito na-form lang right before mag-start 'yung liga. Kami, which is a school-based team, ang goal namin—more than just winning here in the WMPBL—is getting better. A lot of work to do, at the same time, tinitignan na rin namin 'yung mga possible naming maka-matchup sa playoffs," he added.

Karylle Sierba of UST in action against Cavite-TOL in the WMPBL Invitational Tournament, March 5, 2025 at the Divine Light Academy Gym. Handout/WMPBL 

Karylle Sierba led UST's offensive onslaught, erupting for 23 points on an ultra-efficient 11-of-13 shooting, while also collecting eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Kent Pastrana contributed 11 points and eight assists with just one turnover, while Vergen Maglupay notched a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists. Onianwa added eight points, six rebounds, three steals, and four boards in just 14 minutes of play.

Charmaine Natural carried the scoring load for Cavite-TOL, finishing with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, along with eight rebounds.

Despite the lopsided loss, the Lady Patriots (2-4) remain in contention for the last two playoff spots in Pool A, alongside Far Eastern University (2-3).

Meanwhile, San Juan and FEU bolstered their playoff bids in the tournament, which is also supported by Uratex, Discovery Suites, Red Dynasty, Gotobox, Gerry's Grill, Prettiest, Team Graphitee, Evo Performance Helmets, Ryzen Helmets, Katinko, Dorayd, Sogo Hotel, Global Bosny Manufacturing, and Bavin.

The San Juan Lady Knights survived a rusty start to edge out the Centro Escolar University Lady Scorpions, 43-42, effectively eliminating the Lady Scorpions while moving closer to the next round.

With 50 seconds left, Jhenn Angeles nailed a clutch stop-and-pop jumper from the left elbow—her only field goal of the game—to give San Juan a 43-40 lead.

CEU had chances to respond but failed to capitalize on their possessions. Jhianne Ferolino scored on a putback off her own miss with just 0.2 seconds remaining, but it wasn't enough as the Lady Knights secured the win.

Hazel Panti led San Juan (4-1) with 10 points, while Rejoice Adlawan added nine points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

San Juan overcame a sluggish start, scoring just five points in the opening quarter and trailing by as much as 14 against a hot-shooting CEU side, which eventually cooled down in the latter periods.

Hannah Gumapo paced the Lady Scorpions, who dropped to 1-5 in Group A, with 12 points, while Krizzyann Bautista chipped in nine.

Shane Salvani of FEU in action against Imus-SIS VBL in the WMPBL Invitational Tournament, March 5, 2025 at the Divine Light Academy Gym. Handout/WMPBL

Meanwhile, the FEU Lady Tamaraws breezed past Imus-SIS VBL Lady Magdalo, 91-60, to claim solo fourth place in Pool A.

Cassandra Salvani spearheaded FEU's balanced attack with 14 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds, while Amyah Español and Erica Lopez chipped in 13 points each.

The already-eliminated Lady Magdalo fell to 2-4 in Pool B, despite a 16-point, seven-rebound effort from Nikka Villanueva. Nicole Cabahug also posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 boards in the loss.

The Scores

First game

UST 96 – Sierba 23, Pastrana 11, Maglupay 10, Onianwa 8, Soriano 7, Ambos 6, Danganan 6, Santos 6, Relliquette 5, McAlary 5, Pescador 5, Serrano 4, Bron 0, Amatong 0

Cavite-TOL 46 – Natural 20, Goanto 8, Hawkins 6, Pacia 4, Delas Herras 3, Zschomack 3, Casinillo 2, Caringal 0, Flores 0, Del Prado 0, Magalong 0, Jimenez 0, Leopardo 0

Quarterscores: 27-17, 49-25, 77-39, 96-46

Second game

FEU 91 – Salvani 14, Lopez 13, Espanol 13, Pagteilan 10, Pasilang 8, Dela Torre 7, Nagma 6, Patio 6, Manguiat 5, Villanueva 3, Mendaros 2, Ong 2, Gavaran 2

Imus-SIS VBL 60 – Villanueva 16, Cabahug 13, Flor 6, Dela Cruz 6, Libor 6, Pamaran 5, Ebio 4, Cantimbuhan 2, Vicente 2, Salgado 0, Santos 0, Dela Cuesta 0, Buenafe 0, San Diego 0

Quarterscores: 29-11, 50-30, 62-44, 91-60

Third game

San Juan 43 – Panti 10, Adlawan 9, Junsay 8, Sanchez 4, Mejasco 4, Salapong 3, Abaca 2, Angeles 2, Gonzales 1, Marcos 0

CEU 42 – Gumapo 12, Bautista 9, Ferolina 6, Montecalbo 5, Cadano 4, Defeles 2, Tapinit 2, Garcia 2, Altamirano 0, Banih 0, Autida 0, Duran 0

Quarterscores: 5-16, 15-27, 38-36, 43-42