IGNORING POSSIBLE floor-burns and bruises, the Ateneo Lady Eagles dove for loose balls and hustled on both ends of the court to dominate the University of the East Amazons, 75-40 at the Far Eastern University Gym on July 15.

With last year’s rookie crop already seasoned in the UAAP and this year’s rookies and veterans raring to start on a high note, the Lady Eagles raced to a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Amazons were left facing a 23-point lead at the half after sophomore Samantha Ong and the returning Sarah Mercado converted on treys, and with the aggressive Corinne Javier and Ronna Co fearlessly driving to the basket.

Despite the huge margin, the Lady Eagles continued their balanced onslaught in the second half as Captain Treena Limgenco and Mariana Lopa continued to score on the team’s transition plays. Ateneo’s tight defense forced UE to commit turnovers and limited top-scorer Cindy Resultay to just seven points.

“Everyone just came to play today. We ran the plays, we played a quick game [and] ran transitions a lot. We played good defense. Everyone really stepped up,” Lopa said.

Head Coach Haydee Ong added, “It’s a good morale booster for us and I hope to keep it up for the whole season.”

Limgenco and Ong paced the team with 15 and 10 points respectively. Mercado, who is nursing her injured quadriceps (thigh muscles), chipped in five points in six minutes of play. Rookie Janel Long also played limited minutes due to an injury.

The Lady Eagles will face the University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons on Sunday, July 19, at the Philsports Arena.