THE ATENEO Lady Eagles ended their season on a high note after trouncing the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons, 62-46, in the final game of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 82 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, October 30, at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila City.
The Lady Eagles ended the season at sixth place with a 5-9 record, eclipsing last season’s win total by one win. Meanwhile, UP finished at the bottom of the standings with a 1-13 win-loss slate.
Graduating guard Hazelle Yam was stellar once again for the Lady Eagles, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a game-high +25. Trina Guytingco also had an impressive showing, as she put together a double-double with 16 points, 10 boards, and two steals.
For the Lady Maroons, Pat Pesequera was a bright spot, as she put up 19 points and 12 rebounds. Also notching a double-double was Rei Sanchez, who scored 10 points to go along with 16 boards.
Ateneo came out blazing in the first quarter, opening up a 10-point lead and holding the Lady Maroons scoreless through the first eight minutes. UP answered back with a 6-0 run to end the opening frame down by just one. In the second period, the Lady Eagles led by as much as 12 behind a 14-4 surge that was capped off by a triple from Zoe Chu.
UP once again cut the deficit to just four in the third quarter after a 12-4 spurt. However, the Blue and White shut the door once more on their rival from Katipunan, countering with an extended 14-3 run between the third and fourth quarter to go up by 15. Ateneo never looked back, ending the game with a 16-point advantage—their largest lead of the ballgame.
The Lady Eagles had a tenacious performance on defense, holding the Lady Maroons to just 15/62 from the field on a 24.2% clip. Ateneo also wreaked havoc on the ball, forcing UP to commit 13 turnovers. The Blue and White were abysmal from the foul line in the first half, making just four of their 12 attempts. But in the second half, Ateneo recovered and went 14/18 from the charity stripe.
Guytingco, who is one of six graduating players for the Blue and White, was happy to end her career with a win. “We also really enjoyed the way we won our last game, it just shows that [despite the] rough season, but we were still able to come together at the end of the day, we’re still together, and we still enjoy each other’s presence,” she said.
Apart from Yam and Guytingco, Nicole Cancio, Mel Newsome, Pam Payac, and Alyssa Villamor all played their last UAAP games for the Ateneo.
Quarter Scores:
Ateneo-UP: 10-6, 25-17, 43-32, 62-46
Box Score:
Ateneo (62): Guytingco – 18, Villamor – 16, Yam – 13, Payac – 5, Chu – 4, Moslares – 3, Cancio – 2, Newsome – 2, De Dios- 1, Aquisap – 0, De Joson – 0, Villacruz – 0, Nimes – 0
UP (46): Pesquera – 19, Sanchez – 10, Larrosa – 7, Ordoveza – 6, Gusilatar- 4, De Leon – 0, Gonzales – 0, Hidalgo – 0, Lebico – 0, Lucman – 0, Rivera – 0, Taulava – 0
