THE ATENEO Women’s Basketball Team ran out of steam against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 72-77, in their fourth University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 outing. Today’s first round of the Battle of the Birds took place earlier at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
With the loss, the Blue Eagles fall to a 2-2 win-loss record, remaining at fourth place in the Women’s Basketball tournament standings.
Spearheading the Katipunan-based unit was the shifty guard from Bacolod, Junize Calago, with a season-high 25 points and a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Aiding the floor general were Sarah Makanjuola and Kacey Dela Rosa, who added another double-double performance to her season after posting 10 points and 18 rebounds. The trio combined for 56 of Ateneo’s 72 total points in a losing effort.
Ateneo came out guns blazing by dominating the Lady Falcons in the paint at the onset of the contest. Leading the Katipunan-based squad in the early stretch was Makanjuola, who chipped in nine quick points to put her team up with a double-digit advantage midway through the first quarter, 15-4.
Points in the paint became the main contributor for the Blue Eagles’ continued success as Ateneo outscored the Lady Falcons 16-2 throughout the frame. Pushing the pace with the opening period winding down, Calago and Dela Rosa took advantage of the careless Adamson defense, drawing multiple fouls to maintain their lead, 24-16.
In contrast to their efficient first, the Blue Eagles came out the second canto cold, giving up a 7-1 run in the first three minutes, 25-23. Sparking this run was an injury scare that took Dela Rosa out of the game after landing awkwardly on her left leg with 8:16 left on the clock. However, the reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player braved through and returned minutes after, playing for the rest of the contest.
With their main scorer back in the fray, the Blue and White blazed back to a big lead after numerous second chance efforts from Dela Rosa and a gritty Calago putback lay-in, 35-25. After AdU converted two quick buckets to get within eight, the star guard snatched back the momentum with a spinning layup to close out the half, 37-29.
Looking to maintain their position in the driver’s seat, the Blue Eagles opened the penultimate quarter flaring on the offensive end. Dela Rosa recorded yet another double-double after cleaning the board and scoring an easy layup. Meanwhile, Calago caught fire from beyond the arc, nailing two consecutive treys to extend their lead to 13, 47-34.
However, the Katipunan-based unit slowed down on the defensive end, allowing the Lady Falcons to orchestrate an 8-0 run, 49-44, which cut the deficit to just five with three minutes left in the third.
With Ateneo’s sloppy defensive scheme, the Lady Falcons saw a glimpse of light after arranging a 14-4 run to end the quarter. The Blue Eagles eventually gave up their lead after Elaine Etang’s and-one play. To add insult to injury, Jam Meniano capitalized on the error-laden Blue and White by draining a long three that beat the third-quarter buzzer.
Keen on regaining the lead, the Blue Eagles opened the fourth canto with their scrappy defense leaving the Lady Falcons scoreless for the first five minutes of the quarter. Their offense also showed signs of life after scoring nine consecutive points, anchored by Calago’s hot hands that notched five points throughout the run.
With four minutes left, the game went from pillar to post as both teams showed persistence on both ends of the court. However, Adamson trimmed the deficit to one, 70-69, courtesy of an Oluwakemi Adeshina post-move, Etang’s nifty floater, and Kat Agojo’s steal for an easy fastbreak point.
The Blue Eagles found themselves even in hotter water after Etang drilled two shots from the charity stripe, 70-71, with a minute and eight seconds remaining. Sinking them deeper in the hole was a miscue between Makanjoula and Kai Oani that led to a long Adamson triple with the shot clock expiring from Kim Limbago, 70-74.
Off an Ateneo timeout, the hot hands of Calago failed to cut the lead to one with a missed three from the wing, forcing them to play the foul game. Makanjuola kept her foot on the gas and converted an easy two-pointer, 72-75.
However, with little time left for the Blue Eagles, the Lady Falcons converted three out of four from the charity stripe to seal the game, 72-77, with Adamson taking their first win against Ateneo in the post-pandemic era.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Blue Eagles will look to bounce back against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws next Sunday, September 29, at 1:30 PM at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (72): Calago – 25, Makanjuola – 21, Dela Rosa – 10, Oani – 7, Villacruz – 7, Batongbakal – 2, Cruza – 0, Aquirre – 0, Cancio – 0, Eufemiano – 0, Olivenza – 0, Angala – 0
AdU (77): Etang – 15, Adeshina – 13, Mazo – 11, Agojo – 7, Alaba – 7, Apag – 5, Limbago – 5, Manlimos – 3, Meniano – 5, Padilla – 3, Ornopia – 3, Cortez – 0, Bajo – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 24-16, 37-29, 55-58, 72-77
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (4-0)
- UST Growling Tigresses (3-1)
- AdU Lady Falcons (3-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-2)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (1-2)
- UE Lady Warriors (0-3)
- DLSU Lady Archers (0-3)
