THE ATENEO Women’s Basketball Team notched its first second-round win in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Women’s Basketball Tournament over the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 81-66. The game was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Blue Eagles now have a 6-3 win-loss record in the standings, bouncing back from their previous game against the defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs.
Kacey Dela Rosa registered another double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds, as well as five blocks. Her twin tower partner Sarah Makanjuola also filled the statsheet with 12 markers and a season-high 22 boards. Meanwhile, Team Captain Jhazmin Joson recorded a season-high 12 assists along with 10 points.
Junize Calago made an immediate impact to start the opening canto, scoring four straight points and dishing the rock to Makanjuola, 6-0. UE would counter with a 6-2 spurt, before Katelyn Cancio quelled the dry spell for Ateneo with a wide-open layup, 10-8. In the latter stages, Ateneo would struggle on the offensive boards, allowing UE to keep the contest close. The first ten minutes ended with an 18-17 advantage for the Blue Eagles.
Both squads traded baskets within the first minute of the second frame, with Minslie Paule’s mid-range jumper giving UE its first lead of the game, 23-22. Playing behind, the Blue Eagles mounted a 24-10 scoring run with a variety of buckets and rebounds from both the starters and the second unit, 47-32. Despite UE cutting the lead down to 10, Calago sank two free throws to give the Blue and White an 11-point advantage heading into intermission, 48-37.
As the third salvo rolled in, Dela Rosa scored five of the first seven points for Ateneo, giving her squad’s biggest lead, 55-37. Since then, the Lady Warriors mounted an 8-0 run with shots from the charity stripe despite Kamba Kone fouling out midway through the quarter. However, Sandra Villacruz would patch the bleeding for the Blue and White with four straight baskets, 59-45. Free throws and timely buckets from UE would trim Ateneo’s lead to ten, 61-51, heading into the final canto.
The Blue and White commenced the fourth quarter with a 7-2 scoring run, with Dela Rosa scoring a rare three-pointer, 68-53. Neither team was able to go on an offensive burst until the five-minute mark, with Althea Lorena hitting a three-pointer to bring UE to within 12, 58-70. Ateneo answered with another 6-0 scoring spurt, four of which came from Joson’s back-to-back buckets. The Blue Eagles took control of the game right after, sealing their sixth win of the season, 81-66.
After the victory, Makanjuola shared that her performance was the marching order from Head Coach LA Mumar. “Coach said that I should just go for the rebounds because we had to win the game,” she shared. Moreover, Mumar adds that her performance was a testament to her improvement and growth from Season 85, hoping that she continues her consistent play.
The Blue Eagles look to continue their winning ways as they go up against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. The second installment of the Battle of Katipunan will take place on Sunday, November 5, 11:00 AM at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Box scores:
Ateneo (81): Dela Rosa – 22, Calago – 15, Makanjuola – 12, Joson – 10, Cancio – 9, Eufemiano – 5, Villacruz – 4, Angala – 2, Fetalvero – 2, Chan – 0, Gastador – 0, Solis – 0, Nieves – 0, Tan – 0, Mataga – 0
UE (66): Paule – 20, Lorena – 13, Pedregosa – 7, Dela Rosa – 6, Lumibao – 6, Kone – 5, Anastacio – 4, Delig – 3, Ronquillo – 2, Burgos – 0, Ruiz – 0, Yanez – 0, Cruz – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UE: 18-17, 48-37, 61-51, 81-66
Current Standings (W-L)
NU Lady Bulldogs (8-1)
UST Growling Tigresses (7-2)
UP Fighting Maroons (7-2)
ATENEO Blue Eagles (6-3)
FEU Lady Tamaraws (3-6)
DLSU Lady Archers (3-6)
AdU Lady Falcons (2-7)
UE Lady Warriors (0-9)
