COMING OFF two successive losses, mainly attributed to poor shooting, the Ateneo Lady Eagles bounced back, defeating the De La Salle Lady Archers, 60-51, on August 7 at the Blue Eagle Gym.
In contrast to their previous games, the Katipunan-based squad kept their turnovers to a minimum, giving up only 10—compared to La Salle’s 24. Ateneo took advantage of the Lady Archers’ loose ball handling, converting 16 points off the turnovers.
The first quarter started with the Taft-based squad taking the lead early into the game. The Lady Eagles attempted to overcome the lead but the quarter ended with La Salle on top, 9-7.
A slow start ensued in the second quarter, as both teams were held scoreless during the first three minutes. Lady Archer Aracelie Abaca started off the scoring, but it would only be one of the two baskets La Salle made throughout the quarter, wherein they were held to only four points.
A three from captain Sarah Mercado put the Lady Eagles up 12-11, and that was to be the only lead change of the entire game. The first half concluded with Ateneo possessing an eight-point lead, 21-13.
At the restart, Ateneo came out strong. A basket from Ish Tiu just eleven seconds into the game gave the Lady Eagles a double-digit lead. As both teams traded baskets, the lead fluctuated, scoring sixteen points each the entire third quarter. The quarter ended with another eight-point lead by Ateneo, 37-29.
Though Ateneo took control of the early minutes, the concluding quarter saw a frenzy of baskets by both squads. Back-to-back three pointers by Samantha Ong plus a layup converted off a steal during first two minutes extended the Lady Eagles’ lead to sixteen, 45-29.
La Salle would attempt a comeback—even cutting the lead to eight—in the latter minutes but it would eventually get foiled as the Lady Eagles walked away the winners of this Ateneo-La Salle matchup.
Star rookie Danica Jose and team captain Sarah Mercado provided strong numbers for the ladies in blue, both ending the game with double-doubles. Jose finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds while Mercado had 16 and 13 of her own. With the win, Ateneo improved to 3-3 in the standings and is currently a place shy of a Final Four slot.
“The girls played. Years ago, there used to be a team called the ‘Hail Mary team,’ and I would want my team to adopt that moniker, and I hope that that and the win provide the motivation for them,” said Ateneo coach Chris Quimpo. “We obviously controlled the game, as you can see with the turnovers they committed and the offensive rebounds we had.”
When asked about their next game, Coach Q said, “If we win against UST, we go over .500. Hopefully after the losing streak, this time we get a winning streak.”
The Lady Eagles will next face the UST Tigresses on Wednesday, August 10, the last day of the first round, at the Blue Eagle Gym.
Scoring Leaders:
ADMU, 60: Jose 17, Mercado 16, Ong 9, Chua 6, Dimaano 5, Tiu 4, Aseron 2, Morales 1, Bo-ot 0, Javier 0
DLSU, 51: Abaca 17, Piatos 10, Viterbo 10, Ong 5, Corcuera 4, Ramos 3, Garcia 2, Pineda 0, Melendres 0, Gonzales 0, Wilson 0, Oyao 0
Quarter Scoring: 7-9, 21-13, 37-29, 60-51
