The Ateneo Lady Eagles put on an offensive show in the fourth quarter to snap a six-game losing streak, defeating the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, 56-49, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Basketball tournament on Sunday, October 22 at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.
The Lady Eagles avenged a previous heartbreaking loss to La Salle on their home court during the last clash of green and blue, which ended with a buzzer-beating Khate Castillo triple. The win puts the Lady Eagles one victory over La Salle in the standings with a 3-6 record, a full game away from fourth-seeded Far Eastern University (FEU).
Jollina Go and and Hazelle Yam carried the load offensively with 14 and 12 points, respectively, with the duo single-handedly outscoring DLSU (19-13) in the fourth. Go scintillated with 11 markers, including a dagger four-point play at the interval, which proved to be the deciding basket for the Lady Eagles.
DLSU’s Kathleen Nunez was consistent throughout the game, leading all scorers with 16 points on 55% shooting with an additional three assists. Ana Castillo sank each of her nine points from downtown and grabbed seven boards for the Lady Archers.
The Lady Archers came firing out of the gates, as they sparked a 10-3 run to start the game. The Lady Eagles found their footing late in the period, scoring four straight points including a buzzer-beating lay-up by Alyssa Villamor to cut the lead to one, 9-10.
DLSU once again caught fire to start the second, stealing the momentum with a 9-2 run, capped by a Khate Castillo three, which brought the lead to eight. Both teams continued to trade baskets in a flurry, but it was Ateneo that trailed by a six-point deficit heading into the dugout, 20-26, at half-time.
A more disciplined Ateneo team came out of the dugout, as they scored the first seven points of the second half to take their first lead since Yam’s first basket of the game. From then on, it was a full-court affair as both teams clamped down on defensive pressure. The Lady Eagles cut the lead to two, entering the final frame, 34-36, through a Tina Deacon buzzer-beating lay-up.
Go started the fourth quarter with her second triple of the game to reclaim the lead. Substitute Lauryn De Campo of DLSU made her mark with an and-one play to energize the La Salle bench, but the Lady Eagles would continue to be aggressive, earning five straight free throws.
Ateneo continued to pull away after a beautiful drop from Jhazmin Joson to Go and a corner three from Yam. Nunez tried to mount a comeback by knocking in three straight points, but Go silenced the opposition as she nailed a dagger triple despite being fouled, and made the bonus free throw to complete a rare four-point play, sealing the win for Ateneo. Free throws finalized the score, 56-49, giving Ateneo their first win since beating the University of the Philippines (UP) in the first round.
Go commented on how the team regrouped to get back on the winning track. “Nag-training kami ng sobra. Ayaw lang namin masayang ang pinaghirapan namin noong summer (We trained especially hard. We just didn’t want all our hard work last summer to go to waste),” she said.
The Lady Eagles will next face a powerhouse team in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigresses (6-3) on Wednesday, October 25, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Quarter Scores
Ateneo-DLSU: 9-10, 20-26, 34-36, 56-49
Box Scores
Ateneo (56): Go – 14, Yam – 12, Villamor – 9, Buendia – 7, Guytingco- 4, Uy De Ong – 4, Deacon – 2, Joson – 2, Morelos – 2, Newsome – 0, Cancio – 0
DLSU (49): Nunez – 16, Castillo – 9, Vergara – 7, Del Campo – 6, Paraiso – 3, Dagdagan – 3, Figueroa – 3, Arciga – 2, Jimenez – 0, Torres – 0, Javier – 0, Malarde – 0
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