GOING HEAD to head with their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) rivals, the Lady Eagles dropped their game against De La Salle University (DLSU), 76-63, on Saturday, July 8 in the PCABL-Dickies Women’s Cup at the Buddhacare Gym in Quezon City.
Tina Deacon held up the fort, tallying a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead the way for the Lady Eagles. She was supported by Jolina Go, who contributed nine points and four boards of her own. Binky Uy De Ong similarly made an impact, knocking in eight points and eight boards, while Hazelle Yam contributed five assists to add in the numbers.
Camille Claro starred for DLSU, punishing Ateneo with 29 points and an efficient 4/6 performance from beyond the arc. Khate Castillo chipped in 12 points and 9 rebounds, and Chuchi Paraiso followed with seven points and 13 boards of her own.
Ateneo went to the line 30 times but only converted 18, which affected their rhythm and cost them crucial points throughout the match. On the other hand, La Salle’s marksmanship stood out, as they drained ten three-pointers to Ateneo’s one.
DLSU started the game off brightly with hot shooting, but Ateneo was able to regroup and weather the storm to keep the Lady Archers at bay. Baskets from Tina Deacon served as a lifeline and kept the Lady Eagles afloat, ending the first quarter with Ateneo trailing at 17-16.
The Lady Eagles took control in the next period and responded with a steadier pace in the second quarter to take a one-point lead at the half. Tina Deacon emerged as a dominant force in the paint, using her size advantage against the smaller La Salle front court to lift her team to a 26-27 lead.
The second half was a different story as La Salle shifted gears and turned on the pressure, swaying the momentum with crushing full court defense. Battered by Claro’s consistent scoring, Ateneo was unable to contain La Salle’s perimeter threat, which led the Lady Archers to outscore the Lady Eagles by seven points in the final two quarters.
With DLSU going up 49-43 heading into the fourth quarter, a back and forth of buckets left the Lady Eagles struggling to chip away at the lead as the clock winded down. However, relentless three-point shooting by the Lady Archers spelled their rivals’ downfall, as the game concluded at 76-63.
With the loss, Ateneo’s win-loss record drops to 1-2 while La Salle gets its first win to improve to 1-1.
Quarter scores: 16-17, 27-26, 43-49, 63-76
Box Scores:
Ateneo: Deacon – 26, Go – 9, Uy De Ong – 8, Yam – 5, Newsome – 5, Guytengco – 3, Payac – 3, Buendia – 2, Morelos – 2
DLSU: Claro – 29, Castillo – 12, Vergara – 9, Paraiso – 7, Dagdagan – 7, Jimenez – 4, Nuñez – 4, Torres – 2, Figueroa- 2
