AFTER BEATING the NU Lady Bulldogs to qualify for the stepladder Final Four playoff, the fourth-seeded Ateneo Lady Eagles were eliminated, 68-61, by the third-seeded Adamson Lady Falcons at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan on September 30.

The first quarter started off with both teams on even ground until Adamson got a breather courtesy of a four-point play by sharpshooter Jinky Balasta to take the lead, 13-9, with 4:00 left. Valerie Chua quickly responded for Ateneo with a jumper from the top of the key to bring the deficit down to 13-11.

Aggressive drives to the paint led to consecutive free throw opportunities for Lady Eagle Marie Claire Aseron while Snow Penaranda of the Lady Falcons countered with her own strong layup with a minute left on the game clock. The quarter ended with the score tied at 17-17.

Adamson’s Jezza Taroja opened the second quarter with a sidestep layup finish with just 17 seconds into the second quarter, but veteran Sarah Mercado replied with a strong left-handed drive of her own to tie the game at 19 apiece. The Lady Eagles seemed poised to take the over after three straight points from Mercado and a Chua jumper in a span of two minutes, which forced Adamson coach Emily Vega to call a timeout with 5:54 left in the quarter.

Back-to-back jumpers by Penaranda and Taroja gave Adamson the lead back, 25-24 with four minutes left. Aseron exploded for seven points off floaters and layups for Ateneo, but three Lady Falcons equaled her production to tie the game at 31-all with 1:50 left in the first half.

A runner by Janille De Castro over two Lady Eagles ignited a 6-2 run for Adamson in the final minute of the half. In the succeeding play, Princess Cochico swiped the ball away from skipper Mercado, which led to a Balasta three-point play. But with 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock, Mercado grabbed the defensive rebound and threw an outlet pass to a streaking Sara Bo-ot for the layup to end the half, 33-37, in favor of Adamson.

The second half saw the Lady Falcons gain their biggest lead of the game thanks to another four-point play by Balasta, which pushed the lead to 45-38 with 7:40 remaining in the third quarter.

As though it were on cue, the Ateneo Lady Eagles went on a 10-6 run started by a three-pointer by Samantha Ong from the corner at the five-minute mark. A strong post move by center Danica Jose and a steal by Aseron cut the lead to 48-51 to end the third quarter.

Successive shots by Penaranda and Balasta opened the fourth quarter as Adamson once again tried to pull away, 48-56. Thanks to the scoring of Mercado and the shot blocking of Jose, the Lady Eagles managed to claw their way back to within one, 57-58, at the 5:30 mark.

An alley-oop play by Taroja and Penaranda proved to be the final blow to the Lady Eagles. Down by six, 65-59 with a minute left in the game, Ateneo was unable to make crucial baskets.

After Cochico made one out of two free throws, 66-59, the Lady Eagles had several opportunities for game-changing baskets in last 35 seconds of the game. However, desperation shots from Mercado, Ong, and Bo-ot came up short. None of them proved enough as Angela Ortega pulled down the last rebound and buried two big free throws to seal the fate of Ateneo.

Sarah Mercado led the way for the Ateneo Lady Eagles with a great, all-around effort: 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 steals. Sharpshooter Samantha Ong provided a steady outside presence, with 9 out of her 13 points coming from three-point land. Aseron came up big from the bench as she tallied nine points and seven rebounds.

Meanwhile Penaranda had monstrous performance: 18 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks. Balasta had 17 points, while Cochico and Taroja had 13 and 12, respectively.

Adamson advances to face La Salle, who is currently in second place and has a twice-to-beat advantage, in the semifinals.

The game marks the final bow for veterans Mercado, Denice Tiu, Corinne Javier, Valerie Chua and Samantha Ong as they wrap up their fifth and final playing year for Team Ateneo.

Box scores:

Adamson 68 – Penaranda 18, Balasta 17, Cochico 13, Taroja 12, Ortega 4, De Castro 4, Tongco 0, Mateo 0, Avila 0

Ateneo 61 – Mercado 18, Ong 13, Aseron 9, Jose 8, Chua 7, Morales 2, Dimaano 2, Bo-ot 2, Tiu 0, Javier 0