FOR THE second time this season, the Ateneo Lady Eagles fell to the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 60-65, in the second game of the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, October 9, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.
Ateneo dropped to 3-6 for the season, while Adamson improved their record to 6-3 and moved within striking distance of a twice-to-beat advantage.
Alyssa Villamor stood out for the Lady Eagles, tallying 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Hazelle Yam notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards to go along with four assists and two steals.
Nathalia Prado led the way for the Lady Falcons, putting up 25 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Lhyn Bilbao helped carry the weight for Adamson, turning in a double-double of her own with 16 points and 19 boards. Bilbao also provided rim protection with three blocks.
The game started out with both teams exchanging baskets. No team led by more than two points until Adamson went on an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter, allowing the Lady Falcons to seize a seven-point edge. Ateneo went on a 9-2 spurt halfway through the second to tie the game at 24, but Adamson answered back with another 8-0 surge to enter the break with a 34-26 lead.
The Lady Falcons held on to their advantage for most of the third quarter until the Lady Eagles scored eight unanswered points, which was capped off by a Jay Nimes corner triple.
Adamson jumped out and took control of the game with a 16-2 run to take a nine-point lead with 3:43 remaining. The Lady Eagles showed resilience and cut the lead to just two with less than a minute to go, but Alyssa Villamor could not convert a go-ahead triple and the Lady Falcons escaped at the buzzer.
Both teams were relatively even in the rebounding battle and turnovers. The difference was at the free throw line, where Adamson attempted and made more shots than Ateneo, earning them an advantage in points and pace of the game. Ateneo Head Coach Katrina Quimpo pointed to this as a key factor in the loss.
“We were only 2/5 [from] the free throw line [while] they were 14/23, and a lot of it came in the fourth quarter. They were stopping the game because of those fouls and they were just getting easy baskets from the free throw line and [allowing] us to build momentum,” she said.
The Lady Eagles will try to sweep their season series against the De La Salle Lady Archers for the first time since 2007 at 10:00 AM on Sunday, October 13, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 15-22, 26-34, 49-46, 60-65
Box Score:
Ateneo (60): 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 (65): Prado – 25, Bilbao – 16, Araja – 9, Catulong – 5, Dampios – 5, Ornopia – 3, Flor – 2, Anticamara – 0, Mendoza – 0, Tandaan – 0, Dumelod – 0, Dela Cruz – 0, Eli. Alaba – 0, Ela. Alaba – 0
