UST star shines for Ever Bilena
(December 11, 2008)

Games Tomorrow
(FEU gym, Manila)
12 noon – Oracle-FEU vs Muscle Tape
1:45 p.m. – Nutri-C-Ateneo vs Mail And More
3:30 p.m. – Oracare-CSB vs Smart Sports-UP
5:15 p.m. – Sunkist-La Salle vs Ever Bilena

Ever Bilena squandered a 21-point lead but hung firmly to edge Smart Buddy-University of the Philippines, 77-72, in their playoff match for the No. 1 team in Group B elims of the Women’s Philippine Basketball league (WPBL) Tuesday at the San Juan gym.

UAAP MVP Marichu Bacaro was extra hot in the second quarter, exploding for 14 of the team’s 34 points that saw the Gandang Pinay build several 21-point leads.

With the win, Ever Bilena topped Group B of the tournament backed by Game Hoppers and Molten in the revival tournament of the only commercial league for women’s basketball.

The Gandang Pinay of former PBL chairman Dioceldo Sy will face Sunkist-La Salle at the start of quarterfinals tomorrow at the FEU gym in Manila.

The playoff was necessitated after both Ever Bilena and the Manny V. Pangilinan-backed Smart-UP finished a three-way tie with guest team Xtreme-RP Youth at 3-1.

In the other quarterfinal pairings, Smart-Up collides with Oracare-College of St. Benilde, Group A topnotcher Nutri-C-Ateneo takes on Mail and More, and Group A No. 2 Oracle Residences-FEU collides with Muscle Tape-Lyceum.

Bacaro, one of several University of Santo Tomas players in the team, went on to finish with 25 points as she made 10 of 11 free throws.

She also had 9 rebounds, six steals and five assists in 34 minutes of action that boosted her bid to win another MVP award.

Sai Saddota, the charming forward, paced the Lady Maroons with 18 points, four of them in a backbreaking run that enabled them to cut Ever Bilena’s lead to tie the count at 64-all early in the payoff period.

But Bacaro joined forces with Remia Buenacosa to finally scuttle UP’s last ditch comeback.

The scores:

Ever Bilena 77—Bacaro 25, Buenacosa 17, Ono 12, Leonardo 11, Orillana 4, Fermin 4, Bombeo 2, Carreon 2, Gregorio 2, Casakit 0, Teotico 0, Obrador 0, Noscal 0.

Smart-UP 72 – Sadorra 18, Cainglet 15, Tolentino 15, Asistio 6, Stevens 6, Paz 4, Bautista 4, Tomelden 2, Marzan 2, Faustino 0, Cabral 0.

Quarters: 18-18; 52-33; 61-52; 77-72.

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