FOR THE second time this season, the Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team fell to the National University Lady Bulldogs (NU), 74-84. The game was held earlier this afternoon at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Today’s loss brings the Blue Eagles to a 5-3 record in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Women’s Basketball Tournament. The result also gave NU the sweep over Ateneo this season after two double-digit victories.
Despite the loss, Kacey Dela Rosa continues her MVP campaign with another stellar performance for the Blue and White, tallying 29 points and 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, Junize Calago followed Dela Rosa with 16 points to his name.
On the opposite corner, Stefanie Berberabe ushered NU to victory with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals. Kristine Cayabyab joined Berberabe’s dominating two-way play, leading the team on the offensive end with 18 points.
Building on their momentum from the last game, Ateneo’s Jhazmin Joson blew open the first frame with a floater and a jumper, giving the Blue Eagles an early lead, 6-3. The Lady Bulldogs, reciprocating the energy, relentlessly attacked the rim from afar and up close, causing Ateneo to lose grip on their momentary lead, 12-14. Following her team’s tempo, Angelica Surada banked in a three-point shot and made a three-point play, extending NU’s lead to eight, 12-20. Adding on to the Blue Eagles’ problems, Kacey Dela Rosa found herself embroiled in foul trouble, accruing two fouls with 2 minutes left in the first quarter. As the game progressed, NU continued to shatter Ateneo’s confidence, capping off the quarter with Aloja Betanio hitting a miraculous buzzer-beater shot from the logo, 23-33.
Following the momentum-inducing basket to end the quarter, Marylene Solis opened the second with a layup, 23-35. The pace of the game would slow down with not many points being amassed from either side. With four minutes gone, Sandra Villacruz attempted to restore order with a shot to narrow the gap, 28-37. Despite this, the Lady Bulldogs continued on with their momentum, taking a double-digit lead over Ateneo, 28-39. Kacey Dela Rosa and Calago also tried to bridge the gap with attacks to the basket but came out empty-handed, 39-52. With twenty minutes gone by, the Blue Eagles ended the first half on a sour note, 41-54, as NU’s defensive schemes proved to be a tough challenge for the Blue and White.
However, everything clicked in the third canto for the Blue Eagles. Dela Rosa, who stockpiled her motivation from the Lady Bulldogs’ dominance, opened the door with commanding pushes inside the paint, 44-54. Not stopping there, the UAAP Season 85 Rookie of the Year also made a monster block, making way for Calago to sink in the ball from deep, 47-54.
Ateneo, after the first half, came out of the gates strong with a 15-2 run to start the third canto. Breaking free from her underperformance in the first half, Sarah Makanjuola was fed a precise pass from Dela Rosa and swiftly threw in a shot, 51-56. Basket after basket followed for the Blue Eagles, as Villacruz tied the game with a one-handed jumper, 56-56. However, NU would find their groove with Pingol and Clarin coming alive and turning up their production, taking back the lead, 56-62. After a 16-3 run from NU, the quarter concluded with them taking the lead by capitalizing on Ateneo’s limited bench production, 59-72.
In the final chapter of NU’s masterful performance, Berberabe opened the frame with a reverse layup, increasing the lead, 61-74. Afterward, she stole the ball and ran towards the rim, hitting a layup, 61-76. The quarter encapsulated the Lady Bulldogs’ poise, deconstructing Ateneo’s game by easily intercepting each of their passes at will.
The Blue Eagles had no answer for the entire quarter, as the Lady Bulldogs broke off their newfound confidence, crashing them down to the freezing hardwood, 66-80. With time in their favor, the Lady Bulldogs slowed down their game, wasting precious time for the Blue Eagles to mount a run. With one final gasp left in Ateneo, Aishee Solis nailed timely threes to attempt a comeback against NU, 72-82. Nevertheless, time was not on Ateneos’s side as with 20 seconds remaining, the National University Lady Bulldogs had the game all under their control, ending the contest with the win, 74-84.
Catch the AWBT again as they try to pounce on the currently winless University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, at 11:00 AM, on Sunday, October 29, at the same venue.
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-NU: 23-33, 41-54, 59-72, 74-84
Box scores:
Ateneo (74): Dela Rosa – 29, Calago – 16, Makanjuola – 9, Solis – 6, Villacruz – 6, Joson – 6, Eufemiano – 2, Cancio – 2, Gastador – 0, Nieves – 0, Mataga – 0, Angala -0
NU (84): Cayabyab – 18, Konateh – 14, Berberabe – 11, Canuto – 11, Surada – 8, Betanio – 7, Fabruada – 6, Calrin – 5, Pingol – 4, Bartolo – 0, Solis – 0 , Talas – 0
Current Standings as of writing
- NU Lady Bulldogs: 7-1
- UP Fighting Maroons: 6-1
- UST Lady Tigresses: 5-2
- ATENEO Blue Eagles: 5-3
- FEU Lady Tamaraws: 3-5
- DLSU Lady Archers: 3-5
- ADU Lady Falcons: 2-6
- UE Lady Warriors: 0-8
