IN A tale of two halves, the Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team conquered their rivals, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, 70-57. Today’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Basketball Season 87 game took place earlier this afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
This victory gave the Blue Eagles their first win of the second round after a two-game skid, improving their overall win-loss record to 5-5.
Leading the charge for the Blue Eagles was Season 86 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kacey Dela Rosa, who bolstered her repeat-MVP bid with another dominant outing of 28 points and 16 rebounds. Rookie Kai Oani also shined in Ateneo’s fifth victory, bagging 17 points and draining five threes.
In an uncharacteristic slow start, the Blue Eagles struggled at the onset of the opening quarter, letting the Lady Archers build a 10-3 lead with easy buckets in the paint. Helping her team regain footing in the contest was Dela Rosa, whose inside moves and foul drawing prowess allowed the Blue Eagles to cut the deficit to three, 7-10.
Adding on to Ateneo’s late first-quarter run was star guard Seng Calago, who accumulated seven points in the frame. However, Ateneo’s surprising struggles on the boards and lackluster paint defense would keep them down three entering the second, 18-21.
The Katipunan-based squad immediately picked up their performance at the start of the second frame, going on a 9-0 salvo headlined by Dela Rosa and Yunika Angala. Despite this offensive effort, the Blue Eagles continued to struggle in containing DLSU’s scoring barrage, allowing the latter to mount a 10-0 run, 29-33. Ateneo’s interior defensive woes would persist as they would end the half down 31-36.
Looking to hit the brakes on the Lady Archers’ momentum, the Blue and White opened the second canto with renewed offensive schemes. Fueled by Dela Rosa’s early runs to the iron, the Blue Eagles set foot to create inside scoring opportunities, 33-36.
As Ateneo looked to further impose their will, a long-distance shot from Oani put them back in front, 39-38. Dela Rosa then aided the rookie guard by putting up back-to-back baskets to give the Blue and White enough traction. Overcoming the rough patches in an early uphill battle, the Blue Eagles proved quick in cutting down a previous double-digit deficit to establish a comfortable lead, 54-44.
Capitalizing on DLSU’s miscues, the Blue Eagles took the reins to keep up their pace in the final frame. While a 6-0 scoring run from the Lady Archers posed as resistance, a Dela Rosa two kept the Katipunan cagers firmly ahead in the game, 61-50.
Oani’s back-to-back threes ignited a surge to set the stage for an offensive flurry and put pressure on the DLSU defense, 70-54. Leveraging their tactics effectively, the Blue Eagles maintained control during the dying moments of the game to close out the match to their advantage, 70-57.
With the Blue Eagles’ first win in the second round, Coach LA Mumar applauded the squad for their efforts while highlighting their goals for the upcoming matches. “Our goal is to win the championship, not to make the Final Four,” he expressed.
Hoping to build on their winning momentum, the Blue Eagles will go head-to-head against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons next Wednesday, October 30, 12:00 PM, at the same venue.
Box scores:
Ateneo (70): Dela Rosa – 28, Oani – 17, Calago – 9, Makanjuola – 7, Angala – 3, Batongbakal – 2, Villacruz – 2, Aquirre – 2, Cancio – 0, Nieves – 0
DLSU (57): San Juan – 19, Sarrio – 11, Mendoza – 8, Sunga – 8, Paraiso – 4, Dalisay – 3, Dela Paz – 3, Rodriguez – 1, Bacierto – 0, Villava-Cua – 0
Quarter scores:
Ateneo-DLSU: 18-21, 31-36, 54-44, 70-57
Current Standings (W-L):
- NU Lady Bulldogs (9-0)
- UST Growling Tigresses (8-1)
- AdU Lady Falcons (6-3)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (5-5)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-5)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (2-6)
- DLSU Lady Archers (2-8)
- UE Lady Warriors (1-8)
