WITHOUT A single taste of the lead, the Ateneo Lady Eagles were outplayed on both ends of the floor as the FEU Lady Tamaraws trumped them, 68-46, on July 18, at the PhilSports Arena.

Early on, FEU played aggressively, relying on an inside-outside game that baffled the Ateneo defense. Sarah Mercado and Jennifer Dimaano kept the Lady Eagles within striking distance in the first quarter, scoring most of the team’s nine points, but FEU’s timely triples maintained the lead in their favor.

Led by Raiza Palmer’s jumpers, the Lady Tamaraws started to pull away in the second quarter. This was then followed by a scoring surge late in the second canto, as FEU went on an unanswered 7-0 run that gave them a 12-point halftime lead, 33-21.

FEU’s inside strength dominated an exhausted Ateneo frontline in the third quarter. Although shooting a dismal 4 out of 30 three-point field goals, the Lady Tamaraws relied on muscle to score second chance points in the shared area, mounting the lead to 21 points, 52-31.

FEU took their foot off the pedal in the fourth quarter, but Ateneo could simply not break the lead. FEU went on to win by 22, 68-46.

The Lady Eagles’ towering trio of Corinne Javier, Valerie Chua, and Denise Tiu could not keep up with FEU’s frontcourt duo of Allana Lim and Claudine Supnet, who both hauled in 13 rebounds each. FEU grabbed a staggering 38 offensive rebounds that allowed them to pass out to Palmera who hit jumpers with ease, or to Lim, who scored mostly on inside shots.

Mercado led the Katipunan-based squad with 16 points and nine rebounds, the only player to score in double figures for Ateneo.

The Lady Eagles next face National University on Sunday, July 25, 8am, at the PhilSports Arena.