DESPITE SHOOTING 50% from beyond the arc in the first half, crucial turnovers in the payoff period prevented the Lady Eagles from finishing the season with a win as they fell to the fourth-seeded Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws (8-6) in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Women’s Basketball tournament on Saturday, November 11 at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Similar to last year, the Lady Eagles finish the season with a record of 4-10, good for sixth place ahead of archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers (3-11) and the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons (0-14).
The Lady Eagles have a big hole to fill in the middle heading into next season, with starting center Tina Deacon and rotation player Gaby Veloso ending their respective tenures with the team.
Hazelle Yam paced the Ateneo offense with 13 points on an efficient 6/9 shooting clip, along with five assists. The graduating Deacon also contributed eight points while Jollina Go chipped in seven markers.
Mabel Balleser’s efficient play led FEU with 16 points on a 7/9 field goal percentage. Precious Arellado also put up 11 points and six assists to secure the win for the Lady Tamaraws.
The start of the game saw a seesaw battle with both teams trading baskets. It became a shootout towards the end of the first quarter with sharpshooting Lady Eagle Alyssa Villamor hit back-to-back triples to answer a Nina Antiola three while Ateneo guard Binky Uy De Ong ended the quarter with a corner three of her own to answer a Joannah Ouano deep ball. The Lady Eagles ended the quarter with three straight shots from downtown to head into the second period trailing by one, 15-16.
The Lady Eagles had difficulty scoring in the second quarter as their first points came from two charities by Nicole Cancio with over six minutes left in the period. With FEU leading, 20-26, halfway through the quarter, substitute Joie Aquisap immediately made her presence felt by scoring five straight points then assisting a Jollina Go three to complete an 8-0 run for Ateneo. The quarter ended with a beautiful drop pass by Uy De Ong to a cutting Melissa Newsome to knot the game at 31-all heading into the half.
Yam started the third with a pull up jumper and an assist to Deacon inside to spark an early 4-0 run. Back-to-back kickout plays by the Lady Eagles then saw Newsome and Go hit consecutive long twos. However, with every Ateneo basket, FEU had an answer as they tied the game at 39. Yam went on another scoring run as she hit two consecutive floaters to end the quarter for the Lady Eagles taking the lead, 43-41, heading into the final frame.
Lady Eagle Jhazmin Joson hit a shot clock beating three to start the fourth period, but a 6-0 run by FEU saw the Lady Tamaraws take back the lead, 46-48. Backup big Zoe Chu then made a free throw and an elbow jumper to put Ateneo back on top. This would be the last time the Lady Eagles enjoyed the lead as a series of turnovers allowed FEU to go on an 8-0 run. Deacon tried to salvage the win for the Blue and White with back-to-back lay ups, but an Arellado triple and a Valerie Mamaril layup ballooned the FEU lead to nine, 54-63. With nothing else going for them, Yam took charge by scoring a difficult layup and a pull up jumper, but the Morayta-based squad had all the answers to eventually seal the final score, 60-69.
With the season now over, Yam shared her thoughts on the team’s performance this year, “We fell short [of our expectations]. ‘Yung ine-expect sa amin is makakaabot kami ng Final Four pero hindi kami gaanong consistent kaya we fell short (We fell short of our expectations. The expectation from us was to reach the Final Four, but we were not consistent, so we fell short).”
The veteran guard also bared what the team can do to improve going into the next season, “Siguro work harder. Don’t take trainings for granted, and huwag lang susuko (I guess, work harder. Don’t take trainings for granted, and don’t give up).”
Quarter Scores
Ateneo-FEU: 15-16, 31-31, 43-41, 60-69
Box Scores
Ateneo (60): Yam – 13, Deacon – 8, Go – 7, Villamor – 6, Joson – 5, Aquisap – 5, Newsome – 4, Uy De Ong – 4, Chu – 3, Guytingco – 2, Cancio – 2, Payac – 1, Buendia – 0, Veloso – 0, Morelos – 0
FEU (69): Balleser – 16, Arellado – 11, Quiapo – 8, Jumuad – 7, Mamaril – 7, Okunlola – 7, Gerner – 5, Antiola – 3, Ouano – 3, Bahuyan – 2, Bastatas – 0, Adriano – 0, Payadon – 0, De Guzman – 0
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