The Accountancy (ACC) Griffins claimed the women’s basketball championship in this year’s Palarong Atenista Women’s Basketball Championship, as they pulled away in the second half to overpower the Social Sciences (SS) Dragons, 51-40.

The game started hot as the Griffins trailed by just two points after the opening quarter, then immediately widened the gap, outscoring the Dragons to establish a commanding lead, 18-7.

However, the SS Dragons kept the game competitive, keeping the score close at 13-11 in ACC’s favor in the first quarter, and edging ACC Griffins to maintain a narrow advantage heading into halftime with a 23-18 lead.

ACC Griffins’ team captain Jesmarlou Zambrano highlighted that the team’s off-court bond proved instrumental to their performance throughout the tournament, strengthening their teamwork and familiarity with one another.

“Without the bond talaga, kasi it’s really applicable on your games,” Zambrano said. 

However, the ACC Griffins broke away in the third quarter, doubling down on their lead as the SS Dragons struggled to keep pace, resulting in a 16-point advantage that put them in control heading into the final quarter.

The SS Dragons mounted a late push, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter, but the Griffins matched their effort with 10 points to preserve the lead and secure the championship.

Zambrano added that the team maintained weekly practices despite the struggle to assemble a complete lineup for physical training and practices in the weeks leading up to the championship.

“This week hindi kami kumpleto, last week hindi na naman kumpleto. So yun talaga yung challenge namin.”

Despite these setbacks, she underscored that the team entered the tournament with the goal of representing the Accountancy community and enjoying the competition, with winning as a matter of additional aspiration.

As ACC Griffins soared for gold and the SS Dragons settled for silver, the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) Tigers claimed bronze, concluding the Palarong Atenista women’s basketball tournament on October 12 at the 4F Martin Hall.