KACEY Dela Rosa formally received her second consecutive Most Valuable Player award in the 87th UAAP women’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The 6-foot junior from Ateneo etched her name in history as the fifth women’s basketball player in the league to achieve back-to-back MVP honors.
Dela Rosa is the second Blue Eagle after Cassy Tioseco in Seasons 69 and 70 to win consecutive women’s MVP honors.
Also in the elite group are Analyn Almazan of Adamson (Seasons 72 and 73), Afril Bernardino of National University (Seasons 77 to 79), and Grace Irebu of University of Santo Tomas (Seasons 81 and 82).
“Ako, super happy ko kasi nakuha ko yung back-to-back MVPs. Pero siguro hindi pa rin ako satisfied kasi marami pa ako kulang sa games ko. Naglu-look talaga ako sa team effort, pero happy naman,” said the 20-year-old center.
Dela Rosa, who also claimed the Season 85 Rookie of the Year award, was dominant throughout the season. She led the league with averages of 22.1 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 3.7 blocks per game, earning an impressive 96.286 Statistical Points (SPs).
Despite her stellar performance, Ateneo finished the season in fourth place.
Joining Dela Rosa in the Mythical Five are Kent Pastrana of UST, Louna Ozar of University of the Philippines, Sarah Makanjuola of Ateneo, and Angel Surada of National University.
Pastrana earned her third straight Mythical Team selection after averaging 15.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game, accumulating 79.857 SPs.
Ozar contributed averages of 12.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game for 67.571 SPs, while Makanjuola normed 12.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game for 65.786 SPs. Surada, who registered 8.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steal per game, rounded out the Mythical Five with 62.0 SPs.
Ozar, Makanjuola, and Surada all made the All-UAAP team for the first time.
Meanwhile, NU’s Cielo Pagdulagan emerged as the runaway winner for the Rookie of the Year award.
The first-year Lady Bulldog, a homegrown talent from National University Nazareth School who was also the UAAP Season 86 Girls’ 3×3 Basketball MVP, impressed with averages of 9.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, amassing 56.571 SPs.
Adamson University also received its trophy after finishing third in the tournament.
The Lady Falcons entered the stepladder playoffs with a 9-5 record, eliminating the Blue Eagles in the quarterfinals with a 59-53 overtime victory.
Adamson bowed to UST in the semifinals 59-71.
