THE ATENEO Blue Eagles conclude their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Women’s Basketball Tournament campaign after dropping a loss against the twice-to-beat National University Lady Bulldogs, 64-83. The loss came as a result of the Final Four face-off between top-seeded NU and fourth-seeded Ateneo. The match was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Ateneo rookie Kacey dela Rosa continued to stun the league with her impressive performance after contributing a double-double of 22 points and 18 assists for the Blue Eagles. Meanwhile, Team Captain Jhazmin Joson then followed suit after amassing a total of 13 points and four rebounds.
The Blue Eagles threaded carefully in the first quarter of the match as composed shots under the basket gave them the early lead, 4-0. Attacks from inside the paint by dela Rosa and Junize Calago also gave the Blue and White enough space to breathe. Although consecutive runs to the rim by the Lady Bulldogs propelled them forward, Joson’s shots from the three-point arc trimmed the NU lead down to 20-27 by the end of the quarter.
[1st Quarter]
— Lei Macaranas (@Lei_TheGUIDON) November 30, 2022
Kacey dela Rosa with the beautiful spin move to start the scoring for Ateneo!
Ateneo 2 NU 0@TheGUIDONSports #UAAPBasketball pic.twitter.com/tUmLbv7N8U
Ateneo then continued their momentum in the second frame with offensive drives to the basket. However, foul troubles from the Katipunan-based squad allowed the Lady Bulldogs to pull away with scoring runs of their own. While dela Rosa’s trips to the line racked up points for Ateneo, NU’s offensive gambits brought a close to the first half at the Lady Bulldogs’ advantage, 52-39.
Ateneo center Sarah Makanjuola broke the ice at the beginning of the third quarter with three back-to-back inside baskets, 45-52. Passing errors and forced shots that tainted NU’s performance, which allowed Ateneo to harvest additional points from the post. As the Blue and White continued to fight back with defensive sets, the girls then capped off the quarter at 50-62.
The Lady Bulldogs held off the Blue Eagles at the beginning of the final quarter with a 9-0 scoring run. As strings of missed free throws and cold baskets hounded Ateneo, NU’s defensive tactics also proved to be another challenge for Ateneo to overcome. The match then came to an end with the Blue Eagles sustaining a loss to the Lady Bulldogs, 64-83.
The veteran Joson applauded her squad for their amazing campaign in the UAAP after the two-year hiatus. “I’m very proud of the girls especially [since] we came from the pandemic and we’ve been really training together to get where we are. I’m just glad that we got to make history again for [Ateneo] Women’s Basketball.”
With the loss, the Ateneo Blue Eagles officially end their spectacular run in UAAP Season 85 where they managed to secure a Final Four appearance for the first time since 2015. Meanwhile, the NU Lady Bulldogs enter their eighth consecutive finals appearance and will fight to secure their seventh straight title.
Ateneo will be on standby for their final team ranking as it will only be released after the tournament’s championship.
Box score:
Ateneo (64): Dela Rosa – 22, Joson – 13, Calago – 10, Makanjuola – 7, Villacruz – 6, Miranda – 2, Eufemiano – 2, Angala – 2
NU (83): Clarin – 19, Cacho – 15, Edimo Tiky – 10, Canuto – 8, Cayabyab – 8, Pingol – 7, Bartolo – 7, Fabruada – 6, Betanio – 3
