IN THEIR second meeting of the season, the Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team (AWBT) fell short in their bout against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, 47-69, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Women’s Basketball Tournament. The battle occurred earlier today, October 26, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in the City of Manila.

Despite the loss, the Blue Eagles maintain their third-seed status with a 5-3 record, firmly ahead of the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws and De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers.

Leading the way for Ateneo was reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kacey Dela Rosa with 18 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Supporting the Blue Eagles’ ace were Camille Malagar and Kate Cancio, who scored eight and six points, respectively.

Notably, Sarah Makanjuola was ineligible to play in today’s matchup after picking up two unsportsmanlike fouls in the Blue Eagles’ game against the FEU Lady Tamaraws. Rish Olivenza replaced the reigning Mythical Five member in the starting lineup.

Looking to avenge their loss from Round 1, the Blue Eagles struck first with Kacey Dela Rosa barreling her way towards the rim to convert on an and-one attempt, 3-0. However, the Blue and White’s perimeter defense faltered on consecutive possessions, allowing NU’s Marga Villanueva and Kristine Cayabyab to drain three triples, 3-9. Halfway through the quarter, Cancio and Dela Rosa cooled off the opposition by connecting with an easy layup, 5-9.

Ateneo’s problems with the press resurfaced, recording back-to-back turnovers that stumped the Katipunan-based squad’s offensive pace. After an exchange of free throws from both sides, the Blue Eagles continued to chip away at the lead, with Cancio finishing with a euro-step conversion, 8-13. In the final two minutes of the quarter, the Blue Eagles’ tenacious defense suffocated the Lady Bulldogs’ sets, denying them a field goal conversion to keep the lead at three, 10-13.

At the onset of the second quarter, the absence of Makanjuola was sorely felt with the Blue Eagles failing to lock down the paint, as Lady Bulldog Angelica Surada got two easy layups, 12-17. Determined to bounce back, Ateneo conducted a 7-0 sprint led by Erica de Luna, Sophia Cruz, and Dela Rosa through vicious drives to the hoop, 19-20. However, the surge was short-lived, as the Blue Eagles found themselves on the receiving end of a 9-0 run by the Lady Bulldogs, with the Blue and White’s defense continuously late on three-point attempts, 19-29.

Dela Rosa slowly revived her squad by battling through consecutive possessions inside the arc, 24-29. With the two-time MVP playing nearly all the first half minutes, Ateneo surrendered a flurry of paint baskets that added to their struggles, 26-36. Supporting the ace was Malagar, who continued her week-long hot streak by draining back-to-back three pointers to crawl their way back into the game at the end of the second frame, 32-36.

Entering the third canto, the Blue Eagles struggled to contain Marylene Solis and Karl Ann Pingol, who made four quick points, 32-40. Unable to suppress the Lady Bulldog’s surging offense, the Blue and White’s deficit increased as Surada made a basket in the paint, 32-42. Following this, the cagers from Katipunan were plagued with a six-minute scoring drought. Looking to mount the comeback, Cancio broke the ice with two free throws, 34-44.

However, NU’s Aloha Betanio and Angela Garcia immediately scored a three and a free throw, respectively, extending the Blue Eagles’ deficit, 34-48. Right before the whistle blew, Dela Rosa converted a putback to bring the Blue and White closer to the Lady Bulldogs, 36-48.

Approaching the final quarter, the Blue Eagles struggled to maintain ball possession. Within the first minute, the Blue and White had two lost possessions, allowing Surada for easy layups, 36-52. Following her teammates’ scoring outburst, Solis converted a floater, prompting Head Coach L.A. to call a timeout, 36-54.

Exiting the huddle, the Blue Eagles went on a 4-0 run, via Malagar’s floater and Cancio’s free throws, 40-54. However, the Lady Bulldogs answered immediately with an 8-0 run from multiple transition layups, 40-62. The barrage would continue as Surada scored an and-one, bringing the Blue and White’s gap to 13 points, 42-65. 

The game then went back and forth with no major challenges being made. With Gwen Chan splitting her free throws near the buzzer, the game ended at 47-69. 

The AWBT will look to bounce back as they face off against the FEU Lady Tamaraws on October 29, Wednesday, at 8:00 AM in the Mall of Asia Arena.