MANILA, Philippines -- The tandem of Kacey dela Rosa and Jhazmin Joson came up big for Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday, helping them end a three-game slide in the UAAP Season 85 women's basketball tournament.

Dela Rosa, their rookie center, was unstoppable against the University of the Philippines (UP), making 10 of her 13 field goals en route to 30 points while also hauling down 20 rebounds. She also had seven blocks in a 35-minute stint.

Joson, the veteran guard, made just 3-of-11 of her attempts but delivered in other departments to finish with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It's the first triple-double in UAAP women's basketball since 2017.

"Hindi ko in-expect na ganoon 'yung ipe-perform ko," said Dela Rosa, a sentiment echoed by Joson.

"I was low-key surprised, I didn't even know," the Fil-American guard said. "I wanna push this girls but even me, I try to push myself every game. So yeah, I was surprised, actually."

For Ateneo coach LA Mumar, however, it did not come as a shock to see the two players lead the way in their 67-61 triumph against the Fighting Maroons. The mentor won't deny that they expect a lot from the duo, whom he branded as the team's version of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

• READ: Dela Rosa, Joson star as Ateneo snaps losing streak

"That's what I call them but they're really skilled and talented. So si Shaq and Kobe, really, you know, they have the skills, they have the desire," said Mumar.

"I'm very confident with their talent, I think they're such a deadly 1-2 combo. It gives us a chance every game to win," he added.

However, Mumar also pointed out that Dela Rosa and Joson were helped greatly by their teammates who took the pressure off their prolific duo.

"I also wanna commend our other players. They are able to do what they do when the other girls -- sila [Sandra] Villacruz, [Junize] Calago, [Dyna] Nieves, all of these other girls, [LJ] Miranda, when they do their stuff, it allows these two to do their stuff," he explained.

"We just have to play together. Hindi kami 1-2 team eh. Pero 'yung talent, mga talentado itong mga to," he said.

The win over UP hiked Ateneo's record to 2-3 in the women's division and Mumar is optimistic that with "Shaq and Kobe" at the forefront, the Blue Eagles will continue to be competitive against the rest of the league.

They opened their campaign with a thrilling win against Far Eastern University before dropping their next three assignments -- all of which came against Final 4 contenders.

"Malakas 'yung mga tumalo sa amin," Mumar said. "We had good games, but we were not mature enough yet so, you know, when we started the season, I personally expected some growing pains because our team is full of rookies."

"Outside of Jhaz, we're all rookies. It's part of the process, it's part of the growth. We're very happy that we got another W."

UAAP Season 85 is streaming on iWantTFC every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, available for Premium users outside the Philippines.

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