THE ATENEO Blue Eagles suffered their second loss of the season at the hands of the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 79-83. The match was held earlier today, October 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles at 4-2 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament.
Despite the loss, Kacey Dela Rosa continued to fortify her Most Valuable Player (MVP) bid, notching 18 points, 16 rebounds, and four assists. Alongside the back-to-back MVP was Kai Oani, who tallied 17 points, while Sarah Makanjoula, Gracie Batongbakal, and Camille Malagar scored 12 apiece.
From the early stages of the matchup, NU quickly tested Ateneo’s defense, knocking down two threes to establish an early lead, 0-6. In response, the Blue Eagles’ frontcourt duo Makanjoula and Dela Rosa fired back with a pair of layups inside, 5-6.
As the matchup continued, both teams began to trade scoring opportunities, as Ateneo relied heavily on inside scoring, while NU made use of a mixed attack to maintain the tight scoreline, 11-11.
The Ateneo offense was then challenged once more as the Lady Bulldogs ramped up the pressure, applying a persistent defense on the Blue Eagles. As a result, the Blue and White proceeded to commit four turnovers in a row, allowing NU to secure a sizable advantage after a 10-0 run, 21-11.
Eager to narrow the deficit and end the first frame, the Blue Eagles went on their own 9-2 run from drives inside to secure points from the charity stripe, ending the quarter with a narrow deficit, 24-28.
Building on this momentum, the Blue Eagles continued to attack the paint to begin the second, as Oani and Dela Rosa further narrowed the deficit through close-range attempts, 29-31. Capping off this inside pressure, Gracie Batongbakal netted a steal and found Erica de Luna beyond the arc in transition, giving Ateneo their first lead of the match, 32-31.
However, Ateneo was tested with yet another tenacious NU press, stunting Ateneo’s offensive rhythm in the succeeding minutes. Using this advantage, NU regained the lead once more through a pair of layups from Karl Ann Pingol and a Kristine Cayabyab three, forcing a Blue Eagle timeout, 32-38.
In the closing stages of the half, both teams traded buckets with Dela Rosa and Malagar continuing to attack the paint and NU’s Cayabyab converting from distance, thus ending the quarter with neither side willing to give up a huge advantage, 36-43.
The third frame began with a back-and-forth between both teams. Dela Rosa quickly scored a jumper in the post, which was then answered by a floater from NU’s Marga Villanueva, 38-45. Batongbakal and Oani then nailed two consecutive shots from rainbow country, but NU stopped the bleeding through Pingol’s charities and Angel Surada’s post work, 46-53.
The Blue Eagles then went on a 5-0 run off of Makanjuola, outmuscling the Lady Bulldogs in the post and Malagar’s shot from beyond the arc, 51-53. However, the Katipunan-based squad struggled to penetrate NU’s full court pressure, leading to a 0-6 dry spell, 51-59.
Countering the Jhocson-based unit’s barrage, Dela Rosa scored a quick bank shot and Oani doubled down with a jumper from downtown, cutting the lead to three, 56-59. However, a string of turnovers led the Blue Eagles to concede a seven-point run to end the half, 56-66.
The Blue and White quickly answered Villanueva’s early three-pointer in the final frame with Makanjuola powering her way to the basket and Batongbakal sinking another from beyond the arc, 61-69. Both teams continued to answer each other’s attacks, which led to an 11-point deficit for the LA Mumar-coached unit, 64-75.
Eager to turn the tides, the Blue Eagles went on a 15-0 run as Oani and Malagar caught fire from deep, 79-75. With only a minute left, Ateneo struggled to maintain their lead as NU’s Aloha Betanio managed to score a floater and Pingol powered through with an and-one opportunity, 79-80.
As the clock ticked down, Villacruz managed to secure a trip to the free throw line after being fouled with nine seconds remaining. However, the forward failed to sink either of the two charities, keeping the Blue Eagles still trailing. The Blue and White then regained possession, going to the reigning MVP Dela Rosa for the chance to ice the game. However, the Lady Bulldogs’ defense emerged successful, as the star senior could not find the mark on the mid-range jumper, giving the ball back to NU.
With 5.1 seconds left, Ateneo’s Makanjuola was called for a technical foul for delaying the game after crossing over the line during the Lady Bulldogs’ inbound pass. With that, Pingol sank the technical free throw, giving NU a two-point cushion, 79-81. Pingol was fouled once again and managed to grow NU’s lead to four, 79-83. With two seconds left, Dela Rosa attempted a halfcourt heave, but was unable to drain the shot, leading to another loss for Ateneo.
Looking to return to the win column, the Blue Eagles will face the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws on Wednesday, October 22, at 8:00 AM at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Box scores:
Ateneo (79): Dela Rosa – 18, Oani- 17, Batongbakal – 12, Malagar – 12, Makanjoula – 12, De Luna – 3, Villacruz – 3, Cancio – 2
NU (83): Pingol – 22, Cayabyab – 19, Solis – 12, Villanueva – 11, Betanio – 7, Medina – 6, Surada – 5, Pring – 1
Quarter/Set scores:
Ateneo-NU: 24-28, 36-43, 56-66, 79-83
Current Standings (W-L):
- UST Growling Tigresses (5-0)
- NU Lady Bulldogs (5-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-2)
- FEU Lady Tamaraws (2-3)
- AdU Lady Falcons (2-3)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-3)
- DLSU Lady Archers (1-4)
- UE Lady Warriors (0-5)
