WITH 3.1 seconds remaining in the match, Lady Archer Khate Castillo received the ball off a screen and pulled-up from deep—about eight feet behind the arc—with the ball hitting the bottom of the net as the buzzer sounded. Her game-winning triple broke the 46-all deadlock, lifting the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers to victory over the Ateneo Lady Eagles on Wednesday, October 4 at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
The loss extends the Lady Eagles’ winless run to five, as they drop to seventh in the standings with a 2-5 record. La Salle, on the other hand, notched their second victory of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Basketball tournament, improving their win-loss slate to 2-4.
Ateneo has a chance to tie with both the Lady Archers (2-4) and the Adamson Lady Falcons (2-4) for fifth place if the two aforementioned teams each lose their next games.
Tina Deacon carried the load for Ateneo, scoring 17 on 7/11 shooting and grabbing eight boards. Hazelle Yam chipped in with nine points, four rebounds, and four dimes, while team captain Binky Uy De Ong scored eight markers on 50% shooting from deep.
Castillo scored 13 of her 15 points in the second half to led DLSU, while also grabbing eight rebounds. Bernice Paraiso added eight points on 60% shooting, while Joehanna Arciga had a near double-double with seven points and 10 boards.
DLSU started the game strongly in the first quarter, going on a 6-0 run to lead 6-3 at the midway point. However, a Jolina Go three got Ateneo back into the game while Deacon caught fire to go on a 5-0 solo run capped by an and-one play. The quarter ended with Ateneo on top, 13-8.
In the second quarter, DLSU rushed out of the gates once again with four unanswered points. Uy De Ong ended the run with a three from the corner. Both teams continued to trade baskets throughout the second frame. Uy De Ong ended the half with her second triple to give Ateneo a five-point cushion heading into the dugout, 25-20.
The two teams continued to exchange baskets in the third, with neither teams finding their footing in the game. However, solid defense from the Lady Eagles allowed them to go on a 9-2 run capped off by Go’s buzzer-beating lay-up, which gave the Blue and White a seven point cushion heading into the final frame.
Katrina Guytingco continued the Ateneo run at the start of the fourth, making 2/2 from the charity stripe. However, a tireless La Salle squad began to press the Lady Eagles from the backcourt, which resulted to multiple Ateneo turnovers. Frustration then started to creep in on the Lady Eagles as Deacon was called for an unsportsmanlike foul on La Salle’s Arciga.
La Salle capitalized on this to go on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 42-all. Yam did not relent, scoring back-to-back baskets to keep Ateneo in the game. But with 3.1 seconds left and the ball possession, La Salle would go to their leading scorer in Castillo, who hit the buzzer-beating three to snag the win for the Lady Archers.
After the game, Deacon commented on the composure of the team in late-game situations. She said that the team was not able to follow the game-plan that the coaches set up for them. “Coach [John Flores] told us to be composed in finishing games and to follow the game-plan. I think we’ve been executing well during trainings. We just need to translate it into the game,” Deacon said.
The match marked the final game of the first round for the Lady Eagles.
Quarter Scores
Ateneo-DLSU: 13-8, 25-20, 40-33, 46-49
Box Score
Ateneo (46): Deacon – 17, Yam – 9, Uy De Ong – 8, Go – 6, Guytingco – 4, Cancio – 2
DLSU (49): Castillo – 15, Paraiso – 8, Arciga – 7, Torres – 6, Dagdagan – 4, Vergara – 4, Nunez – 3, Figueroa – 2