THE ATENEO Lady Eagles came up short in their second round opener against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses, 66-68, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday, October 4, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
After the loss, the Lady Eagles fell to the sixth spot in the standings with a 3-5 record. On the other hand, UST improved their win-loss slate to 6-2 and stayed in the hunt for a twice-to-beat advantage.
Alyssa Villamor led the Lady Eagles’ valiant effort with 17 points and four rebounds. Trina Guytingco and Hazelle Yam also chipped in with 14 points apiece.
Grace Irebu carried the load for the Tigresses, tallying a monster double-double of 24 points and 25 boards. Lon Rivera also played well, scoring all of her 10 points in the second half.
The game was close from the jump, with no team building more than a two-point lead in the opening quarter. The Lady Eagles clamped down defensively in the second quarter, allowing only 11 points despite multiple second chance opportunities for UST. Ateneo took a one point lead into halftime thanks to an Alyssa Villamor layup.
After the break, both teams still could not create separation, with UST going on a 9-0 run that was immediately answered by a 10-0 spurt by Ateneo capped off by a pair of Jhazmin Joson free throws.
The Golden Tigresses finally created separation in the fourth quarter through a Rivera corner triple with just over two minutes to go. Nevertheless, the Lady Eagles did not go down without a fight, as they cut the lead back down to just two with a chance to win the game. In the final possession however, the Blue and White could not get a shot off, sealing the loss.
The Lady Eagles did a great job forcing the ball off UST, as the Golden Tigresses committed 26 turnovers and Ateneo converted those into 26 points off turnovers. Ateneo also did a great job capitalizing on opportunities from the foul line, going 20/23 from the charity stripe. However, UST took command of the rebounding battle, finishing with a 65-37 edge, including a 30-13 advantage in the offensive glass. The Blue and White allowed only two points off 13 offensive rebounds from UST in the first half, but UST began imposing their will in the second half with 25 points on 17 offensive rebounds.
After the game, Head Coach Katrina Quimpo commended the team on their effort despite the outcome not being what they hoped for, and expressed optimism moving forward.
“It’s a different Ateneo Lady Eagles team that played out there. They played with a lot of confidence, heart, and they played together, and that’s what we’ve been waiting to see. We’ve been working on it and it really paid off for us—unfortunately, it was [two] points less than the win. I’m proud of how the team played and it only gets [more] exciting from here,” said Quimpo.
The Lady Eagles’s next matchup will be against the Nathalia Prado-led Adamson Lady Falcons on Wednesday, October 9, 10:00 AM, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-UST: 12-17, 29-28, 51-49, 66-68
Box Score:
Ateneo (66): Villamor- 17, Guytingco – 10, Yam – 9, Joson – 9, Nimes – 5, Chu – 4, Payac – 2, Cancio – 2, Moslares- 0, Newsome – 0, De Dios – 0, Aquisap – 0, Villaacruz – 0
UST (68): Irebu – 24, Rivera – 10, Panti – 9, Ferrer – 6, Tacatac – 6, Gandalla – 5, Callangan – 3, Soriano – 3, Portillo – 2, Javier – 0, Sangalang – 0
