THE ATENEO Blue Eagles held off a determined effort by Taft rival De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, 65-62, in their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 bout. The game was held earlier today at the Adamson University Gym in the City of Manila.
Today’s result brings Ateneo to a 2-1 win-loss record in the elimination round of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Basketball tournament.
Reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kacey Dela Rosa continued to build on her bid for another MVP plum, securing yet another double-double with 24 points and 16 rebounds. Meanwhile, Luisa San Juan had a standout game for the Green and White, scoring 24 points with 18 coming from beyond the arc.
The standoff between the longtime foes kicked off with an opening basket by Junize Calago and Sarah Makanjuola, 4-0. In an attempt to immediately catch up, Bernice Paraiso stepped up for the Lady Archers, but Dela Rosa was quick to respond with a conversion of her own, 6-2.
Undeterred by the Blue Eagles’ early momentum, Bea Dalisay drilled a three-pointer to trim the Ateneo advantage to one. Soon enough, the Blue Eagles lost command as Paraiso produced to hand DLSU their first edge of the game, 8-6.
As the game turned into a back-and-forth affair, Kai Oani made her presence known, converting a three-pointer to help Ateneo regain the lead, 11-8. With three minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Dela Rosa pioneered Ateneo’s glass with another two-point basket, 13-10.
Despite San Juan’s conversion to close the gap, the Blue Eagles displayed their offensive expertise at the closing stages of the canto to pad the lead, 17-14.
As stakes sprung up, DLSU’s Lee Sario shrugged off the tension and dropped a score-tying three-pointer, 17-all. Dela Rosa, in response, became an indomitable force as she tallied consecutive baskets to help Ateneo retake the upper hand, 23-17. Midway through the frame, the Blue and White managed to build a comfortable advantage after a domineering glasswork play by Dela Rosa, 29-21.
Oani became a significant force in the game as she extended Ateneo’s advantage to double digits, 32-22. Feeling the pressure on their side of the court, San Juan and Luisa Dela Paz took the reins for Taft with their own respective conversions to reduce their gap to 28-32. Unwilling to give up their place in the driver’s seat, Sandra Villacruz and Dela Rosa joined forces to conclude the first half with Ateneo still on top, 37-29.
Following the half-time break, the Blue Eagles displayed unrelenting dominance inside the paint, as they converted on every drive to spark an outstanding 10-0 run to the dismay of the Lady Archers, 47-29. Although the game slowed down midway through the quarter, Ateneo sustained their double-digit advantage over DLSU thanks to their strong defensive play from inside the arc, 50-34. Despite their Taft counterparts heating up from three-point range, the Katipunan-based unit slipped past the third quarter with a 51-38 scoreline.
In the last frame, the Lady Archers found their stride with two consecutive threes to push for a comeback, 46-55. While Kacey Dela Rosa tried to search for cracks in their defense, DLSU continued to pour in perimeter attacks led by San Juan to cut their deficit to just three, 54-57. Ateneo attempted to combat DLSU’s resurgence, but the San Juan-led squad held on to their scoring streak to cut their deficit to one, 59-60.
The final moments of the game between the rival teams were nail-biting, as a three from DLSU’s Dalisay made it a slim 63-62 Ateneo advantage. With 2.6 seconds remaining, an errand foul against Oani sent her to the free throw line, feeling the mounting pressure to give her team a bigger cushion.
Facing the tension head-on, the rookie sank both foul shots to secure a three-point lead, ultimately clinching Ateneo’s victory in Sunday’s rivalry bout after DLSU’s failed last-second hail mary attempt, 65-62.
Sharing his thoughts on La Salle’s late scoring surge, Assistant Coach Bacon Austria expressed the team’s takeaway from what he described as an “ugly” win. “It’s a learning experience for us even if we won, maybe we can learn a thing or two and continue to grow,” he shared.
“We are looking forward to Adamson, who makes a lot of threes as well. Good thing we have a week break before that game,” Austria added.
Wishing to extend their reign on the hardwood, the Blue Eagles will lock wings with the Adamson University Lady Falcons on Saturday, September 21, at 1:30 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Box scores:
Ateneo (65): Dela Rosa – 24, Calago, – 13, Oani – 10, Makanjuola – 8, Villacruz – 7, Batongbakal – 3, Eufemiano – 0, Nieves – 0, Angala – 0, Aquirre – 0, Cancio – 0, Cruza – 0
DLSU (62): San Juan – 24, Paraiso – 13, Dalisay – 6, Santos – 5, Sario – 5, Dela Paz – 4, Sunga – 4, Delos Reyes – 1, Camba – 0, Mendoza – 0, Rodriquez – 0, Bacierto – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 17-14, 37-29, 51-38, 65-62
Current Standings (W-L):
- UST Growling Tigresses (3-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (2-0)
- AdU Lady Falcons (2-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-1)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (0-2)
- UE Lady Warriors (0-2)
- DLSU Lady Archers (0-3)
