THE ATENEO Lady Eagles bow out of the PCABL 7th Dickies Women’s Invitational Tournament after a heartbreaking defeat against the Philippine Air Force Women’s Basketball Team, 67-70 on Saturday, July 28, 2018 at the Philippine Buddhacare Academy Gym in Quezon City.
Katrina Guytingco was a bright spot for the Blue and White, showcasing her well-rounded game with 19 points on 7/9 shooting to go with seven rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two rejections. Meanwhile, Jollina Go and Alysa Villamor chipped in 13 points each to complement Guytingco’s performance.
BEST PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kat Guytingco
She finished with 19 points on 7/9 shooting to go with seven boards, two assists, a steal, and two blocks.#PCABL2018 pic.twitter.com/Jjv4TL2Ilr
— Joseph B. Banaag (@Jo_TheGUIDON) July 28, 2018
On the other side, Gemma Miranda and Cindy Resultay paced the Air Force squad in scoring with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Analyn Almazan also contributed a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double while imposing her will inside against the Ateneo defense.
To start the quarterfinal bout, the Lady Eagles started slow on both ends of the floor as they fell into a 2-8 hole early in the first quarter. After settling into the match, Ateneo went on a 7-0 run via a Go runner followed by a three and a floater from Villamor. When the buzzer sounded, Air Force had a precarious one point lead at 9-10.
The second quarter, however, was a nightmare for the Lady Eagles. The Philippine Air Force blitzed to an 11-2 run in the start of the second frame before Go stopped the bleeding with a triple.
[Second Quarter]
Go with a triple!
Ateneo 14 Air Force 21#PCABL2018 pic.twitter.com/PUlfKrq7q5
— Joseph B. Banaag (@Jo_TheGUIDON) July 28, 2018
Ateneo would end up scoring only 11 points in the quarter on 22% shooting from inside the arc, while Air Force found their offensive groove en route to 23 second quarter points. At the end of the half, Air Force held a 13-point cushion on 45% shooting.
After the break, Ateneo started to get in a rhythm offensively. With Guytingco and Villamor opening up the floor through hard drives, the Lady Eagles totaled 22 points in the frame. Despite this, they failed to chip into the lead due to a lack of defensive stops. Air Force would score 19 points in the quarter to counter Ateneo’s newfound offense.
Despite facing a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Katipunan-based side’s grit made for an exciting fourth period. With 5:46 left on the game clock, the Air Force built a 16-point lead, forcing Ateneo Head Coach John Flores to call for time. After the timeout, the Lady Eagles unleashed a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to nine care of back-to-back Guytingco layups and a triple from Jay Nimes.
[Fourth Quarter]
Nimes for three! The Lady Eagles unleash a 7-0 run after the timeout.
Air Force calls for time.
Ateneo 53 Air Force 62#PCABL2018
— Joseph B. Banaag (@Jo_TheGUIDON) July 28, 2018
The Air Force squad then settled down and got some timely baskets from Almazan to nab an 11-point lead with a little over a minute left. From this point, the Lady Eagles’ sense of urgency resulted into an 8-2 run to cut the lead to five to give Air Force a scare with 18 ticks left.
[Fourth Quarter]
Guytingco and Go each hit a triple. Almazan scores a layup.
31 ticks left.
Ateneo 63 Air Force 70#PCABL2018
— Joseph B. Banaag (@Jo_TheGUIDON) July 28, 2018
[Fourth Quarter]
Villamor sinks both free throws. 18 seconds left.
Ateneo 65 Air Force 70#PCABL2018
— Joseph B. Banaag (@Jo_TheGUIDON) July 28, 2018
An Air Force turnover would then lead to an easy layup for the Lady Eagles, trimming the lead down to three with less than five seconds left. However, the Lady Eagles failed to foul or force a turnover in the ensuing possession. Consequently, the Philippine Air Force was able to dribble out the clock and escape with the 67-70 win.
A clearly frustrated Ateneo team could be seen as the final buzzer sounded. In a game decided by three points, several missed layups and 10 missed free throws cost the Lady Eagles their PCABL tourney. They also failed to contain Air Force’s efficient offense, which sat pretty at 45% shooting.
“In all of our games, we usually dominate the first half, and then we falter in the second half,” Ateneo head coach Flores shared after the game. While that was not the case today, with Ateneo outscoring Air Force by 10 in the second half, Flores recognized consistency as one of the Lady Eagles’ points of improvement.
Flores also noted how the Lady Eagles had a tendency of deferring to the hot hand as they depended on Guytingco’s strong second half showing in this game. “There’s always one or two girls who shine instead of all five girls being consistent,” he observed. He also gave credit to Lady Eagles Jhazmin Joson, Nimes, and Go for their stellar play recently.
As the Lady Eagles wrap up their preseason games and look forward to the UAAP, they will look to improve on last year’s sixth place finish. According to Flores, they plan to do this by focusing on every game in front of them, regardless of standings.
After such a heartbreaking game, only one thing can bring comfort to the Ateneo Lady Eagles: More opportunities.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-Air Force: 9-10, 20-33, 42-52, 67-70
Box Score:
Ateneo (67): Guytingco – 19, Go – 13, Villamor – 13, Nimes – 12, Cancio – 6, Buendia – 2, Newsome – 2, Joson – 0, Miranda – 0, Moslares – 0, Chu – 0, Payac – 0
Air Force (70): Miranda – 16, Resultay – 15, Buendia – 14, Almazan – 14, Columna – 4, Tecson – 4, Daig – 2, Balita – 1, Bernardo – 0, Ortega – 0, Avila – 0, Pagapat – 0, Sandel – 0
