THE ATENEO Lady Eagles lost to the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 50-60, on Saturday, September 24, 2016 in the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The loss brings Ateneo’s record down to 2-3, while UE improves to 4-1 in the first round of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Basketball tournament.
The Lady Eagles were led by Hazelle Yam and Jollina Go, who each had 13 points and three assists apiece. They were supplemented by Tina Deacon, who scored nine on a 4/6 shooting, to go along with six rebounds.
Love Sto. Domingo paced the Lady Warriors with 18 points, while Ruthlaine Tacula produced an all around performance; she had 11 markers, eight boards, and five dimes.
The Lady Eagles were without Head Coach John Flores, who was suspended due to his misdemeanor in the previous game against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws. To replace him on the court was Coach Chris Bautista, who led the team on an interim basis.
The game started slowly for Ateneo, as UE’s full court press stifled the Lady Eagles. The Lady Warriors raced to a 6-0 lead to start the game, but Deacon responded with back-to-back baskets and Go hit a three, which gave Ateneo its first lead.
Neither team could get a good grip on the lead in the second quarter, as the score was stuck at 16-all for a period of time. Sto. Domingo broke the deadlock by scoring five straight points, and Tacula converted a basket plus the foul to give UE a near double digit lead. Go responded with another triple before the half ended to stop bleeding, cutting the deficit down to six going into halftime (24-30)
Foul trouble was a problem for Ateneo in the two quarters. Villamor and Deacon had already amassed three fouls each before the second half began.
Ateneo attempted to cut UE’s lead down in the third quarter, but the Lady Warriors seemingly had a response for every basket the Lady Eagles scored. The Blue and White had a mini run in the middle of the third quarter, with Yam and Deacon scoring in back to back possessions to decrease UE’s lead down to 3 (31-34). This was the closest Ateneo got as UE’s lead jumped back to six by the end of the third quarter.
Ateneo began the fourth quarter with a triple from Yam that cut the deficit to five, but a 7-2 run by the Lady Warriors spearheaded by a turnaround basket by Mendina and make from downtown by Sto. Domingo gave UE a double digit lead (53-41). Go hit a smooth pull-up jumper bring the lead back to single digits, but another 7-2 run by the Lady Warriors proved to be too much for Ateneo as it gave them a big lead (47-60) that was never relinquished. Go converted her third from behind the arc before the game ended, but it proved to be too late for the Lady Eagles.
After the game, Lady Eagles Assistant Coach PJ Navarro lamented on the lack of focus and defensive rotations, as well as the lack of energy to give defensive pressure as the factors that contributed to the loss. “We have to improve on rebounding because in almost all five games we lost in rebounding and hustle points. We also have to lessen our turnovers,” he added.
The Lady Eagles’ next match will be against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 8am in the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Quarter Scores: 14-12, 24-30, 36-42, 50-60
Box Scores:
Ateneo: Yam- 13, Go- 13, Deacon- 9, Guytingco- 6, Tomita- 4, Villamor- 3, Newsome- 2
UE: Sto. Domingo- 18, Chan- 12, Tacula- 11, Ramos- 8, Requiron- 5, Mendina- 4, Gayacao- 2
