THE ATENEO Blue Eagles cruised their way to their second straight victory after dismantling the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors, 90-62. The match was held earlier today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Today’s win boosts Ateneo’s standing to a 4-2 win-loss record, keeping their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 stint on course for a strong finish to the first round.
The Blue and White were led by their twin towers, with Kacey Dela Rosa posting 19 points and 13 rebounds and Sarah Makanjuola tallying 14 points and 17 boards of her own. The Blue Eagles’ inside-out approach also paid dividends as Seng Calago and Kai Oani’s hot shooting supplemented the Blue and White with 15 and 13 markers, respectively.
Ateneo stumbled out of the gate in the first quarter as they struggled to find their offensive rhythm in the first four minutes of the frame. However, Blue Eagle big Makanjuola quickly sparked the offense with an inside bucket to give Ateneo an early 2-0 lead. Katelyn Cancio then followed suit with a quick pull-and-pass, pushing Ateneo to a 5-2 lead. However, the Lady Warriors quickly countered with their own offensive gambits, grabbing the lead at 7-5.
A deep three from Aaliyah Ronquillo extended UE’s advantage to 11-5, while the Lady Warriors’ ramped-up defense became difficult for Ateneo to overcome. However, Makanjuola’s second chance basket capped a 10-4 Ateneo run that tied the game at 15-apiece to close the canto.
The Blue and White then began the second frame with a clean slate, looking to break away from UE’s tight grip. Nicole Aguirre sparked the momentum early with a smooth jumper from just inside the arc, putting the LA Mumar-coached unit up 17-15.
Ateneo then switched up their defensive schemes, alternating between zone defense and man-to-man which effectively discombobulated UE’s offensive flow. The Blue Eagles continued their dominance as the Makanjuola-Calago duo powered through with three-point plays, increasing Ateneo’s advantage to a 20-point stretch, 35-15.
With their offensive tempo fully rolling, Ateneo unleashed a fierce 21-0 run, leaving UE unable to find the basket for the majority of the quarter. Although two straight field goals from the Lady Warriors finally broke the silence, the Blue Eagles kept the pressure on with a Dela Rosa catch-and-shoot three-pointer—her first triple of the season.
Despite a final and-one basket from UE’s Rachel Lacayanga, the Katipunan-based squad cemented their control, closing out the first half in their favor, 50-27.
The second half started out slow due to turnovers and fouls from both sides. However, Dela Rosa and Makanjuola finally got Ateneo going by continuing to ravage the Recto-based squad, hitting easy inside buckets within the first four minutes of the quarter, 54-29.
As the frame progressed, Dela Rosa started to take over, further showing her MVP-level talent with eight third-quarter points to pad the Blue and White’s lead, 60-34. Despite Kezza Buscar and Katherine Ruiz’s attempts to bring UE back into the game, Ateneo’s continued shot-making success and stingy defense kept the Lady Warriors at bay by the end of the third, 43-67.
The start of the final frame proved to be the Oani show—with the guard unleashing a nine-point bonanza to widen the Ateneo gap to an insurmountable 31 points, 78-47. The Katipunan-based unit maintained cruise control for the rest of the quarter as treys from Aly Eufemiano and Monique Fetalvero off the bench put the game to bed for the Blue Eagles, 90-62.
Ateneo’s offensive dominance in the contest was evident in their 45.7% shooting from the field and their 35% clip from beyond the arc. Ateneo also heavily won the rebounding battle, 58 to 40, and made the paint a no-fly zone with seven blocks as compared to UE’s two.
Eager to close out the first round on a high note, the Blue Eagles will brace themselves for a fierce showdown against the National University Lady Bulldogs. The match between the two playoff contenders will be held on Saturday, October 5, at 1:30 PM at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Box scores:
Ateneo (90): Dela Rosa – 19, Calago – 15, Makanjuola – 14, Oani – 13, Cancio – 7, Villacruz – 6, Cruza – 4, Eufemiano – 3, Fetalvero – 3, Nieves – 2, Aguirre – 2, Angala – 1, Olivenza – 1
UE (62): Ganade – 15, Kone – 10, Lacayanga – 9, Ronquillo – 8, Ruiz – 8, Buscar – 4, Cruz – 4, Gomez – 3, Yanez – 1
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-UE: 15-15, 50-27, 67-43, 90-62
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (6-0)
- UST Growling Tigresses (5-1)
- AdU Lady Falcons (4-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-2)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-4)
- UE Lady Warriors (1-5)
- DLSU Lady Archers (1-5)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (1-5)
