TANTOY Ferrer came through in the clutch as playoff-bound Discovery Perlas fended off New Zealand-Bluefire, 59-56, to close the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament elimination round on a five-game winning streak at the New Era University Gym last Sunday.
Holding a slim 54-53 lead with under three minutes remaining, Ferrer stepped up with a floater to extend the advantage to three before sinking another short stab, giving Perlas a 58-53 cushion with 2:43 left on the clock.
Altita Quingco responded with a jumper to cut the lead back to three, followed by an Anna Castillo split from the free-throw line, trimming the gap to just two, 58-56, with 20 seconds remaining.
Discovery managed to run down the clock before Socorro Borja sealed the win with a free throw in the final two seconds.
Ferrer led the charge for Perlas with 14 points and seven rebounds, while veteran Allana Lim contributed 13 points, nine rebounds, and three assists to help their team finish with a 5-1 record in Pool A of this tournament backed by Manny Pacquiao, Senator Francis Tolentino, and the MPBL Partylist.
Snow Peñaranda paced the Valkyries with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, while Torres, Castillo, and Lee Sario added nine points each.
In other games, University of Santo Tomas and Cavite-TOL strengthened their playoff campaigns with the former scoring a 95-43 drubbing of Solar Home and the latter securing a crucial 69-54 victory over EZ Jersey, climbing to the third seed in Pool A with a 2-3 record.
