UST honors ‘heaven-sent’ Pastrana, Soriano as Tigresses reignite UAAP contender fire

MANILA, Philippines – Stung by an unexpected finals Game 1 loss — their first defeat in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament after a 14-0 elimination round — the UST Growling Tigresses doubled down, extending practice past lunch to tighten their sets, grind extra reps, and get fully in sync.

As usual, Haydee Ong oversaw with quiet calm, not tension, as she carried the confidence of a coach who knew the title would find its way back to the Tigresses’ den.

“It was our first loss and it was Game 1, an important game in the championship series,” Ong told Rappler during their practice at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion after the series opener. 

“Moving forward, all of our mistakes are going to be lessons learned for us so that we will come back stronger…. I expect them to deliver after this, especially my graduating players Eka (Soriano) and Kent (Pastrana).”

And they did, as Soriano and Pastrana powered UST past NU in Games 2 and 3 to seal their second title in three years, once again at the Lady Bulldogs’ expense.

In the title-clinching Game 3, Pastrana scored 16 points, on top of 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals, while Soriano chipped in 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. 

With the win, the two turned vision into hardware, powering UST to multiple women’s titles under Ong since teaming up in Season 86.

Cornerstones of winning

“Kent and Eka are my cornerstones. Without them, it will be hard for us to get a championship,” Ong said after winning the title. “We played for each other, we played with heart and pride together.”

Soriano, the UAAP Season 85 MVP, led UST to a bronze finish that year. At the same time, Pastrana, the Season 82 Rookie of the Year with La Salle, was serving her one-year residency with the Tigresses.

When Pastrana crossed over from La Salle, the championship vision snapped into focus for Ong, Soriano, and UST. 

By Season 86, Pastrana had taken the reins, powering UST to the championship and snapping NU’s seven-year stranglehold on the women’s crown.

However, Season 87 flipped the script. The Tigresses fell to the Lady Bulldogs in a finals loss that cut deep and lingered long after the buzzer.

By Season 88, Soriano and Pastrana vowed redemption, winning all 14 of their elimination games en route to the finals, where a Game 1 loss put them on the cusp of a letdown. 

“We are so happy because our sacrifices and the years we have been together at UST have paid off,” Pastrana, who also won the Season 88 Finals MVP, said of her partnership with Soriano. 

“I’m so overwhelmed because my goal is not to win the Finals MVP, my only goal is to win the championship,” she added.

Going back to practices with the squad, Pastrana said the Tigresses pushed one another daily, building a culture of constant growth under Ong.

“We all help each other to improve individually, not just as a team, and maybe every day we can improve even 1%, 2%, even a little bit, as long as there is something,” she said. “It’s not just us who grow, my teammates grow too.”

For Soriano, the title affirmed that shared growth, not individual shine, was the team’s winning formula.

“First of all, we wouldn’t have gotten this if we didn’t help everyone,” she said. “I told Kent, we can’t do this alone. We need to bring the whole team.”

“I’m very proud because everyone worked hard here — not just my teammates, but also the coaches who guided me.”

Golden era ahead

For Ong, Soriano and Pastrana personified everything she demands from her team: relentless unity on and off the court.

“They are heaven-sent,” Ong, who is also the commissioner of the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, said. “Those who stay in UST are all heaven-sent. Because they know how the program in UST works.”

She recalled the early days, when the Tigresses were built from the ground up on a modest budget, scraping for recruits and scouting high school talent. 

Back then, the vision was as simple as building competitors hungry enough to chase their basketball dreams.

“I think the program of UST is so successful, it’s because of our high school program as well,” Ong said. “You’ll see the likes of Karylle (Sierba), Gin Relliquette, (CJ) Maglupay, Brig Santos, the twins (Coi and Kai Danganan), they all came from the UST high school program.”

“When I came in 2016, that was the No. 1 thing I said because we don’t have the budget to get the best players for recruitment. The player development program that I instilled in UST, that’s the most important.”

Now back on top of the UAAP women’s basketball, Ong, for now, relishes the title she long envisioned while bracing for the next era for the UST program past Soriano and Pastrana. 

“Thank you, Eka. Thank you, Kent, for leading the team, not only on the court but off the court,” Ong said. “The relationship of the kids — they’re one big family. We play for each other, we play with heart and pride.”

“I will miss Eka. I will miss Kent, and life must go on. The program must go on. The players need to step up to fill the shoes that Kent and Eka left. We will still grow, and hopefully, come Season 89, there will be a new Kent Pastrana and a new Eka Soriano who will fill their shoes.” – Rappler.com