DESPITE TRAILING by as much as 16 points early, the Ateneo Lady Eagles valiantly fought back and came close to upsetting the top-seeded National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs. Ateneo succumbed late, 49-60, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Basketball tournament on Saturday, October 28 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The loss drops the Lady Eagles to a 3-8 record, while the Lady Bulldogs remain undefeated with an 11-0 slate.
The Lady Eagles were led by rookie guard Jhazmin Joson, who recorded a season-best, notching 14 points while also grabbing eight boards and dishing three assists. Jollina Go chipped in 14 of her own with a pair of triples, while Tina Deacon added six points and five rebounds.
Following a 19-5 surge by NU in the first quarter, things began to fall in place for Ateneo in the second quarter, led by the prized rookie Joson. The second quarter proved to be an offensive exhibition for the young point guard, as the scorching hot Joson came off the bench to tally 11 points on a 5/7 shooting clip at the end of the half.
“I had some lucky shots,” Joson said. Starting the game with seemingly nothing going right for Ateneo, the Lady Eagles retaliated with a 17-6 scoring effort to find themselves in great position to take game by the end of the first half.
The Lady Eagles entered the third quarter on level playing field, behind by just three points, 25-22. After giving up a string of turnovers, Ateneo ignited a balanced scoring attack, drawing contributions from Go and team captain Hazelle Yam who tallied six and four points, respectively. The third quarter saw an explosive offensive array with NU leading the exchange, tallying 16 points while Ateneo managed to produce 15 points of their own.
At a heated finale, a crucial game-tying miss by Denise Morelos proved to be fatal for the Lady Eagles, as NU went on a 9-0 run after the failed attempt late in the penultimate quarter to seal the victory, despite an eight-point scoring effort by Go.
Although eventually losing the game to NU, Head Coach John Flores had some uplifting words to say to his team before the match: “We are the only team in UAAP who can beat NU.” Almost achieving the amazing feat, his bold statement seemed to fuel Ateneo’s fearless endeavor to tarnish the 9-0 record of NU prior to the game. The Lady Eagles now have to win all of their last three games in order to stay in Final Four contention.
The Blue Eagles will next face Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons (4-7) on Saturday, November 4, 11:00 AM, at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-NU: 5-19, 22-25, 37-41, 49-60
Box Score:
Ateneo (49): Go – 14, Joson – 14, Deacon – 6, Yam – 6, Cancio – 3, Guytingco – 2, Morelos – 2, Villamor – 2, Buendia – 0, Newsome – 0, Uy De Ong – 0
NU (60): Itesi – 17, Nabalan – 12, Antiquera – 10, Animan – 7, Del Carmen – 7, Cacho – 5, Sison – 2, Ano-os – 0, Harada – 0, Ceno – 0, Camelo – 0
