THE ATENEO Lady Eagles were outlasted by the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 58-68, in the penultimate game of the first round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, September 25, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.
After today’s result, the Lady Eagles extended their losing streak to four games and sank into the lower half of the standings at 2-3. Adamson improved their record to 4-2 to hold on to the second seed.
Hazelle Yam stood out among the Lady Eagles, turning in 17 points and six rebounds. Zoe Chu also chipped in a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
Meanwhile, Nathalia Prado brought her A-game for the Lady Falcons, finishing with 28 points and 14 rebounds.
Adamson took command from the get-go, jumping out to a 15-4 lead late in the first quarter. The Lady Eagles cut the gap to seven at the start of the second quarter courtesy of Yam’s aggressive play.
The Lady Falcons steadily built back their lead in the second, bursting on another 15-4 run. In the second half, Ateneo was unable to capitalize on opportunities to trim the deficit to single digits, partly due to a stingy Adamson defense.
The Blue and White struggled to take care of the ball in the first half, as 18 of their 27 turnovers came in the first two periods. Ateneo also threw up duds at the charity stripe (5/14), further hampering their chances at gaining momentum.
Apart from the turnovers, Head Coach Katrina Quimpo thought that the team also needed to convert more second-chance opportunities.
“If you look at the stats, our rebounding [numbers] were close. We had more offensive rebounds, but I think it’s the hustle points we missed. A lot of their offensive rebounds were translated into points either through free throws or putbacks,” said Quimpo.
The Lady Eagles will close out the first round against the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons at 10:00 AM on Sunday, September 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 10-18, 24-37, 37-55, 58-68
Box Score:
Ateneo (58): Yam- 17, Chu – 10, Villamor – 9, Guytingco – 9, Moslares – 5, Joson – 4, Cancio – 2, Payac – 2, Villacruz- 0, Newsome – 0, De Dios – 0, Aquisap – 0, Nimes – 0
AdU (68): Prado – 28, Araja – 9, Ornopia – 8, Catulong – 8, Bilbao – 4, Anticamara – 4, Dampios – 4, Balane – 2, Flor – 1, Tandaan – 0, Dumelod – 0, Dela Cruz – 0, Eli. Alaba – 0, Ela. Alaba – 0
